Resident Evil: Reconstruction
by hollsteinFF
Summary: In the aftermath of the outbreak, several survivors band together to take down the Umbrella Corporation. And possibly fall in love along the way.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: In honor of Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, I am re-posting my Resident Evil series. Hope you guys enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or storyline from Resident Evil. Just the thoughts swirling around my head that Alice and Claire are perfect for each other...

Claire's POV

Claire could feel K-Mart's hair tickling her thighs. It made her shiver and glance down at the sleeping girl in her lap. You can't think like this Claire, she reminded herself. The girl is eighteen for Christ's sake! Claire wasn't naive. She knew that once the apocalypse had come that the legal system had disintegrated, but she still had this gnawing guilt in the pit of her stomach every time she had a thought about how she might like to feel K-Mart's hair against her thighs when the girl wasn't asleep.

And sure, K-Mart would be turning nineteen soon and Claire was only six years older than she was, but still... The rest of the pigs in the convoy – the ones who weren't already trying to bed the young blonde – would soon join the herd though. K-Mart was a smart, young woman, but even smart women had moments of weakness, and stupidity. Case in point, if the blonde were to wake up at this very moment, she would almost certainly be able to smell Claire's latest lapse in judgment.

Claire had been allowing herself a small fantasy as she drove along the endless dirt covered highway. A fantasy in which she pulled the hummer over to the side of the road and had her wicked way with Sleeping Beauty. She forced the thought out of her head and focused on the road. Only the patches of asphalt, where the wind had blown the sand away every three hundred yards or so, gave her any indication that she was still following what used to be I-15.

K-Mart mumbled something in her sleep and then shifted onto her side, bringing her arm up until her fingers slid under Claire's right knee. The redhead sucked in a deep breath. She could feel her pulse in her clit and longed to shift her position just enough to take care of the fact that her panties were now uncomfortably plastered to her. She couldn't risk waking K-Mart though, so she ground her teeth together and gripped the steering wheel until her knuckles were white.

The fact that she could now feel K-Mart's hot breath against her thighs did not help the situation. Man we have GOT to get more females in this convoy, Claire whined internally. K-Mart was the only other female, well besides Betty, but Betty was so unbelievably taken with LJ that Claire didn't even consider her. Claire had found K-Mart when she was only fourteen. It was much easier then. She had been sort of the kid sister that Claire never had. But the blonde was no longer a kid. She had grown into a beautiful, young woman – even in the midst of all the tragedy and chaos. And Claire was starting to notice.

The girl shifted again in her sleep and Claire's hand automatically went to rub soft circles on the sleeping blonde's back. It was something she did regularly when K-Mart was restless. Her touch soothed the younger girl almost immediately. The blonde stretched her legs out until her feet were against the passenger door. Claire, not for the first time, thanked God that the previous owner of the hummer had removed the bucket seats and replaced them with a bench. She wanted K-Mart in the front seat so she could always keep an eye on the girl.

She glanced down and noticed that when the blonde had stretched, her shirt had ridden up and a thin strip of pale skin was on display. It would be so easy for her to just shift her hand until she could run her fingers across that skin. The younger girl would be none the wiser when she woke. The redhead's hand slowly trailed lower until just the tips of her fingers were touching the soft skin of K-Mart's back. She held her breath and waited.

Nothing.

She let out the breath she'd been holding and very slowly curled the tip of her middle finger under the edge of K-Mart's shirt. She followed the hem around until the backs of her fingers were grazing the blonde's stomach. The younger girl shifted again, pulling her knees up and bringing the hand that had been tucked under Claire's knee over the top of the redhead's leg, hugging her thigh tightly. K-Mart's hand now rested dangerously near Claire's center.

"Claire." The word was barely whispered and was attached to a small moan that only fueled the redhead's fire. K-Mart was dreaming about her, and what kind of dream it was, Claire could only guess, but at the moment it didn't matter; it was too much. She brought her hand away from K-Mart's stomach and gently shook the girl's shoulder.

"K-Mart," the redhead said huskily. "K-Mart, I need you to move."

The blonde stretched, waking up, flexing her fingers, which grazed against Claire's center. Claire groaned. She couldn't help it; the contact was so unexpected. K-Mart realized where her hand was and jerked her arm away. Her elbow hit the steering wheel and the hummer darted across to the opposite lane. Claire jerked it back, keeping it on the road easily. K-Mart sat up quickly, blushing furiously.

"Claire, I didn't mean…" she trailed off not seeming to know where to go with the sentence. Claire cut her off. "K-Mart, it's fine. My leg was falling asleep. That's all. You didn't do anything wrong." The blonde visibly eased at the statement. She let out a long breath and leaned back against the passenger seat.

"It's getting late anyway," Claire stated nonchalantly. "I need an extra set of eyes.

"Claire, this is Carlos. Everything all right up there? You falling asleep at the wheel? We can pull over." The radio blasted through the awkward silence of the hummer. Claire pushed the talk button. "No, I'm fine Carlos. I just…looked away for a second. We need to keep going until we find a good place to camp. Break. Mikey, this is Claire."

"Mikey."

"You have anything on the satellites?" She set the radio down and waited for the reply. She glanced at K-Mart who immediately turned her eyes away. Great, now K-Mart is going to be embarrassed for the rest of the night. The older woman shifted in her seat and subtly tugged at the bottom of her shorts easing some of the friction they were causing against her aching center. She glanced at the empty pack of Camels sitting in the cup holder. She could really use a smoke right now.

"Claire, this is Mikey. About 25 more miles and there should be a bar called the Red Dog Saloon. It used to be well known by truckers because it is quite literally in the middle of nowhere. Best thing is, it was also a restaurant, so we may be able to scrounge some supplies."

Claire sighed with relief. They were running dangerously low on food and fuel. "What about gas?" she asked with little hope.

"They had pumps in the back if I remember correctly. I can see what looks like pumps on the satellite image, but who knows if they still have any juice."

The redhead smiled. "Worth a try, thanks Mikey."

"Not a problem Claire. The exit should be coming up in the next twenty to thirty minutes. I'll keep you posted before hand. Out."

Claire set the radio back down and gripped the steering wheel. Then she reached down under her seat and pulled out the Mossberg 464 and handed it to K-Mart. The younger girl's eyes went wide. "I'm coming in?"

"Don't be crazy," Claire instantly snapped back. "It's just in case. You're definitely staying in the hummer." K-Mart narrowed her eyes like she was annoyed with the redhead's overprotective ways, but Claire could tell underneath she was relieved. The older woman's lips curled up on one side as she thought about K-Mart's reaction. She knew the girl would rather sit in the hummer all day if it meant she didn't have to go on a clearing mission.

Claire had never allowed K-Mart to clear. In truth, she didn't know what she would do if she lost the kid. It would be like losing a loved one. She shuddered just thinking about it as she pulled into what used to be the parking lot of the Red Dog Saloon. She drove around back and pulled up to the gas tanks. "Stay in the hummer, and lock the doors. Be ready to unlock them if you see me running back."

K-Mart nodded. She knew the drill. Claire stared into the younger girl's eyes for a few seconds, puzzling over what she saw, but not having the time to dissect it. She opened the door and shut it quickly. She heard the lock behind her and pulled her Glock 17 from the holster. Beside her, Carlos, Chase, and LJ were getting out of their vehicles. "Let's work quickly, but thoroughly. I don't want to miss something just because we're all tired and ready to rest."

She twisted the knob and nudged the door open with her boot. She took a deep breath and tried to smell anything that even remotely reeked of decay. The air was fairly clean, only a bit musty. She didn't let that lull her into a false sense of security. Narrowing her eyes, she pointed her gun and moved forward. The first room was clear. Carlos, Chase, and LJ made their way into other rooms as Claire slowly walked up the stairs to the second floor. She opened the first door and found a room with a small bed, dresser, and TV stand. She walked over to the closet and, holding her breath, opened the door quickly backing away at the same time. Nothing. She glanced under the bed only to find a few boxes.

The other rooms had been the same. No sign of anything. This place was really in the middle of nowhere, not even the undead had any interest. She went back downstairs and found the others with similar stories. Carlos had the best news. He had cleared the kitchen, and it was still well stocked with canned goods.

Claire smiled. Finally some luck.

They went back to the pumps but, as expected, they were dry. "Well, can't win 'em all I guess," Claire said to Carlos as he threw the nozzle down. He grinned at her. "I guess it may be time to hit the city again."

Claire shuddered at the thought, but he was right. They had been draining these little stations dry for months now. If they wanted to refill the tanker, they were going to have to go big or go home. "One day at a time, old man." She winked and walked over to Chase who was on top of the tanker. "How we looking on fuel?"

The cowboy tipped his hat up and scrunched up his face. "Well Claire, we probably have another two weeks. Maybe longer if we stay in the same place for a few days."

Claire sighed. They never stayed anywhere for multiple days. It was just too risky, but maybe this place could offer them shelter for another day. It didn't seem to be the undead hangout. She looked over at Carlos who was loading up the four-wheeler with cameras. "Get my perimeter up, old man," she called with a smile on her face.

"Right away, oh fearless leader," Carlos called back with mirth. It was good they could still find reasons to smile. As Carlos set off on the four-wheeler, Claire went back to the hummer. She grinned at K-Mart putting on her eyeliner. Shaking her head at the girl, she tapped a fingernail on the window through the grating. "All clear," she stated walking to the center of the circle of cars. K-Mart climbed out of the hummer and followed Claire.

The two started picking around for things to start a fire with. It wasn't hard with the way everything was falling apart these days. They easily ripped off a few of the boards from an outside shed. Claire broke them in half with her boot while K-Mart arranged them for the fire. The redhead walked into the old saloon and grabbed a bottle of rum off of the shelf. Nobody in the convoy was stupid enough to deaden his or her reaction time with alcohol these days, but it sure made a good fire starter, and sometimes Betty used it in the ambulance for sterilization. She poured a small amount onto the boards and tossed a lit match on top. Flames roared to life. It got cold during these long desert nights.

After the team had loaded all of the canned goods and alcohol from inside, they scavenged anything else they could find. Claire took the clothes and linen from the rooms upstairs, the toilet paper, soap, and towels from the bathrooms, and was able to find a couple of flashlights, the good kind that lasted basically forever. All in all this had been a great success. She had even found half a carton of Lucky Strikes tucked away in a cabinet. She didn't tell anyone about that particular find. She and K-Mart had gotten their cans of food from Otto and went to sit beside the fire. Upon opening hers, she found it was chili. "Score!"

She smiled as she showed K-Mart the contents of the can. The blonde grinned back and then scrunched up her face. "Mixed fruit," she said with disappointment. Claire set her can by the fire to heat up. "Save it for dessert," she winked. "We can share." The younger girl instantly perked up. She looked at Claire with all the emotions of a girl in love. When K-Mart looked at Claire that way, it made it really hard for the older woman to resist just leaning forward and capturing those pouty lips.

Claire shook her head when she realized she was staring at K-Mart's lips and the younger girl was giving her an odd look.

They ate their dinner in quiet conversation and then settled down in the hummer for the night. Tomorrow Claire would have to work out the plan for a city raid. She hated anything to do with the cities these days…


	2. Chapter 2

Alice's POV

Alice's body ached as she thundered down the sand covered highway on the BMW. She'd been riding the motorcycle for hours without stopping. Her ass and thighs were numb and she was starting to get callouses on her callouses. She pulled off of the road and decided to set up camp early. She inhaled deeply and was rewarded with clean air, free from the scent of the infected. She could smell them for miles now. Her senses had been so heightened by the experiments that Dr. Isaacs had performed on her, that during the first few days it was all she could do to keep sane. The sun had been too bright. The engine of her Motorrad 1200 had been like a machine gun firing continuously in her ear. The constant reek of infected flesh drilling into her lungs every time she took a breath had been unbearable, but once she had gotten used to it, it had become what she relied upon most. She now knew the infected were coming before they were anywhere near her.

It had taken her months to hone her senses – to figure out what she was capable of. The strength, speed, and overall _spidey-sense_ for the infected she had adapted to easily. It was the unnatural things her mind was now capable of that created the biggest obstacle for her to overcome. That, and the knowledge that the T-Virus was running rampant in her blood.

It started happening during dreams. At night, while she was sleeping, she would move things around with her mind. She had lost three bikes that way, lifting them in the air, then waking with a start and slamming them to the ground. Eventually she learned to control the telekinesis, but it seemed that the T-Virus was not quite finished with her. She kept developing more and more power. In the first days of the outbreak in Raccoon City, Major Cain had told her that her blood had bonded with the T-Virus on a cellular level. She didn't quite understand what that meant, other than the fact that she was infected – on a massive level.

After almost a year of practice, all she had to do was focus on something and she could pretty much make anything happen. It was however, not without consequences. Every time she used her powers on any grand scale she was mentally and physically drained. Twice she had blacked out. Luckily nothing had come along and made a meal of her while she was unconscious.

Alice laid out her bedroll and started scrounging up dried desert plants and tumbleweeds to make a small fire. She dug through her pack and pulled out a naked can. _God only knows what's inside,_ she inwardly cringed. She opened the can, relieved to see that it was stew, and set it near the fire to warm. While she waited, she pulled out her kukris and sharpening stone, added a few drops of oil, and began to run the stone across the first blade. After a few minutes she set the blade aside and grabbed the can of stew. _Only one more can,_ her mental inventory told her. She was running low on supplies and would need to restock soon. The gas station she had hit the day before had been disappointing at best. She had nothing much to show from it, save half a pack of unfiltered Camels and a journal about a safe haven, _Arcadia_.

Once she had finished her stew, she pulled out her other blade and set about sharpening it. It was well into the night at this point, but she was wide-awake. Another side effect of the T-Virus – her body could run on about an hour to two hours of sleep a day. While it was good for keeping watch, it made the already long night time hours seem that much longer, and lonelier.

She'd not had actual contact with another human being for months now. She'd seen only a few people, for very short periods of time since she'd left Carlos, Jill, and Angie in Detroit. She had just disappeared on them, with no warning whatsoever. She knew that if she had told them, they would have begged her to stay, told her that everything would be all right. It wasn't safe. Umbrella could control her mind. They could make her body do things against her will. She had very nearly killed Angie at the behest of Dr. Isaacs, but she had managed to fight the chip in her brain and escape. Angie was safe with Jill and Carlos now, and they were all safe from _her_.

After she fled Detroit, she had broken into an Umbrella facility and downloaded their satellite trajectories. Ever since she had managed to stay off the grid. She desperately missed human contact however, and she was constantly listening to her radio for any transmissions of people who needed assistance. She never stayed long after she had helped them out of their jam. She would always start to feel that itch after a fight with the infected. She couldn't really explain it, not even to herself. It was a nagging, gnawing, cold feeling. It started deep inside any time her blood got pumping during a fight. It would just continue to grow if she didn't find some way to take her mind off of it, so she would leave. It was either leave or snap, and she didn't want to find out what happened if she snapped.

She finished with her kukris and started to clean her guns – one at a time, of course, just in case.

Her two hours of sleep were fitful at best. Her nights were still plagued by dreams of things she couldn't control, people she couldn't save. The sun was just breaking over the horizon, so she started to pack up camp. On the bike, she opened the radio and listened for any signs of life.

While she was fastening her bedroll to the back luggage rack, a woman's voice crackled through the static.

"This is KLKB. We have seven people here in need of urgent medical attention. We need help. This is KLKB. Can anyone hear us? Can anyone help us? Please?"

Alice closed the radio, mounted the bike, and headed toward the radio station she remembered passing not too long ago. It would take the better part of the day to get there. She hoped she'd make it in time.

The drive was long, but finally she stood outside the KLKB station. She inhaled deeply and caught the faint scent of infected flesh. Either the people inside had managed to barricade the infected, or she had gotten there too late.

She nudged the door open with her boot and walked inside, guns drawn. At the other end of the room, she saw a woman sitting down. Upon hearing her arrival, the woman turned slightly. "My baby. Please help my baby," the woman pleaded. Alice holstered her gun and reached for the child. Pulling back the blankets, the child – that was really a doll – fell to the floor. "You bitch," the woman said smugly. "You dropped my baby."

Alice backed away from the woman quickly and was caught from behind. She could have easily overpowered her captors, but she decided to see how things evolved first. Her weapons were removed and the arms holding her tightened. She looked around to see several men, and the woman. One of the men was looking over her weapons, while another was standing in front of her. "Let's see, what else she's packing," the man in front of her growled, sweeping his eyes down her body like she was a centerfold. He was holding one of her kukris and he trailed it down her chest and stomach to her belt. "What ya got down there, fishy?"

"I wouldn't do that." It was the first time she had spoken in what seemed like ages and her voice was low and raspy. With no warning, her leg shot up and connected with the man's chin, cracking his head back and instantly snapping his neck. Blood poured from his mouth as he crumpled to the floor.

"Eddie! Eddie!" the woman shrieked as she ran to his side. "Jesus Christ! He's dead!"

Alice shrugged off her captors but then she felt a sharp pain in the back of her skull, and everything went dark.

When she awoke she was in what appeared to be the basement and her hands were bound. The scent of infected flesh was overwhelming here. The men and woman were looking down on her from above through a hole in the floor. The woman tossed the handcuff keys into the pit. "There. Wouldn't want it to be over too fast. Open the cage!"

The dog was upon her in no time, but she made quick work of him. Disappointed, the woman released the other mutts. Alice quickly devised a plan grabbing hold of the cords that were hanging from the ceiling and tying them around the dogs. She then proceeded to tie them around the support pillar that was holding the first floor up. When the dogs pulled the pillar down, a piece of the ceiling came down forming a ramp. Alice seized her chance, running up the ramp with the dogs on her heels. She grabbed her weapons and bolted, leaving the men and woman to their fate. She could hear their screams as she started her bike and drove away.

She was pissed. She had driven almost all the way to Vegas just to put as much distance between herself and the radio station. By the time she finally stopped to set up camp, the blood lust was thundering through her veins. Just like always. Once it started, the only way to control it was to succumb to it and just keep killing things, or cancel it out with an equal or greater hunger. _Well, nothing to kill here,_ Alice concluded.

She was lying on her bedroll staring up at the stars. With only a few people pumping pollutants into the sky – instead of a few billion – it was amazing the things she could see at night, if she had the time and security to look up that is. It would have been quite peaceful had the T-Virus not been pounding through her veins intent on _feeding_.

She took a few deep breaths and her eyes fluttered close. Her hand slowly drifted down her stomach, fingers sliding beneath the waistband of her khaki shorts. Her mind drifted back through the months and settled on short dark hair, dark eyes, tan, toned body, and legs for days. Jill Valentine. The few months they had traveled together had been hard, but also, the best Alice had had in a long while.

 _They had just finished a dangerous, near suicidal raid mission to restock their supplies. There had been upwards of 200 infected in the area surrounding the shopping mall. And honestly, if she thought about it, it had been fairly easy once she had taken most of them out with a massive psionic blast, but they had lost a few good soldiers in the process. She had been faint for a few minutes, but recovered to help her friends finish off the rest._

 _The mission itself had been highly successful. They had been able to restock their food supply, and find gas. Still, while the rest of the team was celebrating, Alice snuck off to find a quiet place to calm down from her blood lust. Unknown to her, at the time of course, Jill had followed. Alice had just popped the button on her pants when she caught the younger woman's scent._

 _"_ _Hey," Jill spoke softly, completely out of character. Alice didn't turn to face the brunette. Instead, she grunted in response and tried to covertly re-button her pants. Nothing got past Jill Valentine._

 _"_ _I could leave you," the brunette started. "But it would be_ way _more fun for us both if I stayed."_

 _Alice whipped around at that point, eyes almost on fire. Jill's dark eyes dragged down the older woman's body until they landed on the open button. Her mouth twitched into a smirk. "You always sneak off after a raid," Jill stated nonchalantly. "Now I understand why." She took a step toward the blonde._

 _Alice backpedaled. "Jill, don't." The command sounded weak, even in her own ears. Jill ignored her and advanced until she was standing in front of the blonde woman, then she knelt down until directly in front of her eyes was Alice's popped button. She looked up at the taller woman through thick lashes. "You don't want me to?"_

 _The question had been simple enough, but Alice couldn't find the words to form an adequate response._ Fuck yes, _would probably not be suitable. "Jill, we don't even know if I'm contagious. This," she motioned between the two of them, "it can't..." she trailed off._

 _Jill ignored her once again. Her hands were on Alice's legs in seconds, trailing up the thin material of her stockings, over her holster straps and finally making contact with the creamy patch of skin where the blonde's stockings met her shorts. Alice's sharp intake of breath only fueled her further._

 _The brunette reached up to that button, slowly dragging the zipper down. With a few tugs, Alice's shorts were bunched up around her holsters. "Only one way to find out, Super Woman." She leaned forward and wrapped her lips around the blonde's throbbing clit._

 _Alice could feel her blood pulsing under the younger woman's tongue. She said a silent prayer that she wouldn't infect the girl. She figured Jill wouldn't be doing this if she had any doubts about Alice's blood. Still…_

 _Thoughts were few and far between for the blonde when the younger woman pushed a finger inside of her, then another. Her quick tongue was still moving furiously across the blonde's clit. Her fingers moving in and out at an agonizingly slow pace, the difference between the two were driving Alice to new levels._

 _Alice felt Jill's free arm slide around her waist, hand cupping her ass, fingernails digging in almost painfully. The brunette pulled the older woman's hips forward with such power that Alice's knees almost gave out as her orgasm crashed through her body. She would have slid to the floor had Jill's strong arm not been holding her up._

 _After a few moments, Jill's fingers slid out of her effectively sending aftershocks through her entire body. She shuddered violently, but she felt the brunette's other arm wrap around her until she was locked in a tight embrace. Jill held her while she came down from her high. She reached out and caught the back of Alice's neck, pulling her in for a devastatingly passionate kiss. With a final glance, the smaller woman turned on heel, and left the room._

 _Alice stood there for what felt like hours before she finally pulled her khaki shorts back up and buttoned them._

Alice's fingers moved frantically between her legs. Her hips canted upwards meeting her fingers every time they circled her clit. Thinking about Jill was definitely one way of canceling out her blood lust. Not many emotions were stronger than unadulterated, sexual _need_. Not even her T-Virus induced urge to kill. She released her hardened nipple and ran her now free hand down to where her left hand was at work. She teased her opening for a few moments, coating her fingers before plunging two inside.

She pumped them furiously while her left hand continued to work her clit. She could feel it building up, and after a few more thrusts, her orgasm tore through her body setting her muscles on fire. After she came back to her senses, she settled down in her bedroll and pulled the blanket over her. Her thoughts immediately went back to Jill and how much she missed that woman's company these days.

She knew now that Jill had never thought that she was contagious. Dangerous, sure, but not in that aspect, and ultimately, she had been right. Alice had confirmed this during her covert break in of the Cleveland Umbrella facility. The version of the Red Queen had informed Alice that her blood could not contaminate humans. With this new knowledge, Alice felt a tad better about being in contact with others, but she hadn't really been afforded the chance since she had left Jill.

Sometimes she thought about going back and searching for the others. Finding them might prove difficult, but she was sure she could eventually track them down if she set her mind to it. They would most likely welcome her back with open arms, but every time her thoughts went down that path, she would ultimately end up thinking about how terrified Angie had looked at the other end of her gun. She knew she couldn't go back.

Thinking about the past could be painful as well, and she immediately regretted bringing Jill into her fantasies earlier. She missed those girls terribly. She even missed Carlos and LJ. She wondered what they were up to, how they were surviving, if they had managed to find any other survivors. She could see them, rounding up horrified survivors, providing food and safety for them. She could see them as the saving grace of the apocalypse. But for all she knew, they were all dead, eaten alive by the virus that she had not been able to contain. The thought was more painful than the rest and she abandoned it without hesitation.

 _I would know if they were dead,_ she thought ruefully. _I would be able to feel it. I would know…_ She closed her eyes, but knew that sleep was far from finding her. She rolled out from under her blanket and kicked sand onto the fire to kill it. She didn't need it for light or warmth, but most times she started one anyway, just for habit's sake. The T-Virus kept her body temperature regulated, she hardly ever got too cold or too hot, and she was certain that her night vision could give even the greatest nocturnal animal a run for its money.

She inhaled deeply, searching for anything abnormal, but the air was clean. Finally, with nothing more to do, she settled back on her bedroll. Her eyes shifted again to the night sky. The stars really were amazing without all of the light from cities and pollution clouding the atmosphere. So few things were left untainted by the outbreak that Alice was delighted that there were still things left that could be considered beautiful. She closed her eyes and tried for sleep again. This time, fate was kind to her and she drifted off into a semi-restful slumber.


	3. Chapter 3

Claire's POV

K-Mart shivered again. Inside the hummer they were sheltered from the wind, but they were also away from the fire. Claire had pulled out a couple of extra blankets from the back and laid them across the blonde earlier, but nothing seemed to be taking the chill from K-Mart's bones tonight. "Claire," the younger woman whispered. "Can we lean the seat back? I'm so cold."

Claire sighed. K-Mart knew she didn't like lying down because it meant that a quick getaway was near impossible. But she couldn't deny the girl. She lowered the seat back until it was near flush with the bench, and then scooted around to K-Mart's side. She felt the blonde's body relax against her side reveling in the warmth of the Claire's body, then, K-Mart rolled to her right so that her back was to Claire as the redhead pulled the covers back up. Almost instantly, the blonde sank into sleep.

Claire lay awake on her back. She didn't get much sleep these days and her body had adjusted to the three to four hours a night she was able. She kept her senses sharp, listening to all the sounds that she could hear outside of the hummer. The fire crackled as it slowly died down. The wind was howling, but she could barely make out the sound of a muffled conversation coming from a few of the others who hadn't yet turned in for the night. K-Mart was softly whimpering in her sleep. Another nightmare.

"Claire," K-Mart's voice was frantic and the word was followed by a low moan. Something was hurting her in her nightmare, and dream-Claire wasn't around to save her. Claire frowned. She grabbed the girl by the shoulder and gently shook her awake. It was the only way she could protect her from her own mind. K-Mart jerked awake, gasping for air. Claire pulled the blonde into her arms and the girl instantly moaned and fought to get away. Claire tightened her grip and turned K-Mart in her arms so that the blonde was facing her.

"Shhhhh, K-Mart. It's okay. You're safe. I'm here." Claire made her voice as soothing as she could. She gently rubbed circles on the smaller girl's lower back. She could feel K-Mart's heart pounding against her chest. _Shouldn't it be slowing down?_ she briefly thought to herself. K-Mart's arms wrapped around Claire, fingers digging into the older woman's back, face pressed into Claire's neck. "It was just a dream K-Mart. Not real."

K-Mart froze. Then slowly she started to pull away from the redhead. Claire tightened her grip on the girl. She lay back against the seat pulling K-Mart with her until the girl was tucked against her side, head resting in the space between Claire's shoulder and chest. Claire could still feel K-Mart's heart beating wildly against her as she tried to calm the girl by continuing the gentle massage on the small of her back. "Let's just cuddle tonight," Claire teased the younger girl. She felt K-Mart's body tense again and wondered just what the girl had been dreaming about that was so horrible.

A brief thought crossed her mind. _Maybe it wasn't a nightmare._ Generally when the younger girl had nightmares, she calmed immediately when Claire comforted her and assured her that it wasn't real. Tonight, K-Mart only seemed to get more worked up when Claire pulled her into her arms. _Nonsense, Claire,_ she mentally chided herself. _K-Mart isn't having_ those _kinds of dreams about you. That's ridiculous._ She shook her head to clear the thought. The younger girl's arm curled around her waist and her face tilted upward into Claire's neck. She could feel the blonde's breath against her jawline now. _Great. Nice job Claire. Think about sex while you have an eighteen-year-old girl wrapped around you. You're awesome._ She sighed, annoyed with herself. It was going to be a long night.

Claire barely slept at all. Every time K-Mart shifted or moaned in her sleep, every time the girl exhaled too roughly against Claire's neck, every time she inhaled and pressed her chest against Claire's side the redhead's body thrummed. Right before dawn Claire finally managed to drift into a troubled sleep. An hour and a half later she was shifting her body out from under the younger girl, trying desperately not to wake her.

The redhead made her way around the camp, checking the perimeter, pulling off more boards to rekindle the fire that had died during the night. She climbed the ladder to the top of the bus and pulled out her binoculars. She made a slow 360 degrees turn with the binos making sure she didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Everything was still. Climbing back down, she nearly had a heart attack when K-Mart appeared at the bottom of the ladder. "Christ, K-Mart," Claire chastised. "You trying to kill me?"

The blonde grinned. "Sorry Claire. I figured you'd heard me. You're the one who told me I sound like a Clydesdale when I walk." She looked the older woman in the eyes. "Sorry about last night, too. I just couldn't shake that dream."

Claire's eyes softened. "It's okay kiddo," she noted the hurt look on K-Mart's face at the nickname. "What were you dreaming about anyway?"

K-Mart looked away immediately, her eyes suddenly finding the ground extremely interesting. "I – I don't really remember. Just that is was pretty intense. You were there…" she trailed off. She briefly glanced up at Claire then back away.

Claire could tell the younger girl was lying, but she didn't push her to disclose her nightmare. Most times it's better if you don't relive them in the morning. "I figured we could stay here for another day or two," Claire stated nonchalantly. K-Mart whipped her head around and stared at the redhead. "What?" Claire smirked. "It's not like it's the first time I've decided to stay more than a day."

K-Mart just stared at her. "But it _is_ the first time you've decided to stay for more than a day. We've _never_ done that before." The blonde shook her head. "I'm not complaining, just surprised is all."

"Well, we're running low on fuel," Claire admitted. "I figure we can stay here as long as it remains safe. That way we can hold off and have time to plan for another city raid." She noticed the shiver that ran down K-Mart's spine. Nobody liked going into the city, and Claire knew that the thought alone terrified K-Mart. "Hey, it's going to be okay kiddo. We always do things safely, you know that." Again the younger girl winced at the nickname. Claire narrowed her eyes. "You don't like it anymore when I call you that, do you?"

"It's not that, Claire," K-Mart sighed. "It's just, when I hear you call me _kiddo_ , it just reminds me that you still see me as a fourteen-year-old girl regardless of the fact that I'm pretty much an adult now." The blonde locked onto Claire's blue eyes. "It's not the name; you could call me anything. It's the fact that I'll never be able to make you see me as anything other than some scared kid." She looked away.

Claire walked over to the fire and took a seat. She patted the ground beside her. K-Mart sat next to the redhead and both women stared at the fire. They maintained a comfortable silence for a few minutes before Claire broke it. "What do you want me to see you as, K?" The question was genuine enough, and K-Mart looked at her with a thoughtful expression. Finally the blonde spoke. "Sometimes you stare at me," she started. Claire's ears got hot and she looked away, but K-Mart continued. "And when you do, I swear you're seeing me as an adult. You always have this look on your face that I can't really figure out, but it's different from the guarded look you usually have. You only do it when you think I don't see you. But…I see you."

Claire shook her head. She would have to be more careful. She was unaware that K-Mart had caught her staring. "Sometimes it's hard for me to remember you've grown up," she paused, making eye contact with the younger woman. "And sometimes, it's so obvious that it kicks me right in the ass." She chuckled a little, nudging K-Mart with her elbow.

The blonde smiled up at the older woman, but her eyes drifted back to the fire. "Don't curse, Claire."

The convoy leader grinned at the younger woman's scolding, then her face was serious again. "The problem is," Claire continued. "Sometimes I _need_ to see you as that scared kid, K. It keeps me grounded. It keeps me focused on protecting you." The redhead stared at the smaller woman's profile. "I don't know what I would do if I lost you, K." It was more vulnerability than she was usually willing to admit, but it got K-Mart's attention.

"Because it'd be like losing your _little sister_?" K-Mart asked, not quite able to mask the bitterness in her voice. She glanced at Claire then back to the fire, waiting for a response.

The redhead smiled a sad smile. "Because it'd be like losing someone who I care about. Someone I love, K. Don't you know what you mean to me?"

K-Mart shook her head. "I know you love me, Claire. But one of these days you're not going to be around to protect me. And I'm going to be alone and untrained. I need you to see me as an adult so that you can teach me what I need to know to be able to survive when you can't get to me in time." She sighed. "I don't like being the weak link. I may not be the bravest person. And maybe I can't hide the fact that those things terrify me, like the rest of you can, but I need to know how to protect myself. Maybe I wouldn't be so scared if I knew that I stood a chance in Hell."

Claire took a deep breath. "You're right, K." She stood from her spot beside the fire and walked toward the horizon. The land was barren. She longed to be in a place where the vegetation still thrived. She didn't know if such a place still existed. "Well, come on then. It's time to learn the basics of hand-to-hand combat."

K-Mart did a double take. "Are you for real?" she squealed and jumped up. She threw herself at the redhead, hugging her fiercely. Claire faltered and shook her head at the young woman's enthusiasm. "Okay ki – ller, let's see what you've got." She hoped K-Mart hadn't caught her near slip up.

"First we have got to work on that stance. Are we fighting or are we dancing?" She grabbed the blonde and squared her shoulders. Her hands trailed down the younger woman's sides and grabbed hold of her hips, twisting them slightly and kicking the toe of K-Mart's right boot backward. She heard the young woman's sharp intake of breath, but didn't think much of it. "Bend your knees and keep your left foot forward. _Always_ keep your knees bent. Put your arms up. You want to protect your face and neck, that's where you're most vulnerable."

Claire looked over K-Mart's stance and nodded. "Now, hit me."

"What?" K-Mart shook her head, bewildered. "I'm not going to hit you, Claire. I could never hit you."

The redhead gave the teen a shove. "Hit me, K-Mart. Now!" She knew what to say to get the younger woman started, but she hoped it wouldn't come to that. K-Mart kept her distance, eying Claire warily. "Don't be such a baby, K-Mart. Just hit me!" That did it. The blonde lunged forward swinging her fists wildly at the older woman. Claire easily caught her by the wrist. Planting her foot forward, she used K-Mart's own momentum to pull the girl forward and flip her over her hip.

K-Mart landed on her back with the thud, the air leaving her lungs. She stared at the blue sky while trying to suck in a breath. Claire stepped forward and looked down at the young woman, blocking the sun from her face. "Ready to listen?"

The blonde nodded as she sat up. Claire offered her a hand and pulled the girl to her feet. "Good, then ready yourself and hit me."

K-Mart stood in front of Claire. "I thought we were going to fight," Claire stated, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "God K-Mart. Am I your opponent or your prom date?" The blonde blushed fiercely at the comment and diverted her eyes from the older woman. Claire sensed she might have gone too far with the comment, so she moved forward to apologize. K-Mart bent her knees, straightened her shoulders and clocked Claire square in the jaw. Claire blinked twice, then reached up and rubbed her sore jaw. "Damn, K."

K-Mart instantly came forward, her eyes filled with an apology. "Oh my God! Claire! I'm so sorry! I didn't think you'd actually let me hit you." She was frantic. Claire gave her a crooked smile – which hurt – and wrapped her arm around the blonde's shoulders. "Nice form. Let's save the rest for another day." She very casually spit out a little blood that had collected in her mouth from her cut lip, but it didn't go unnoticed by the blonde. K-Mart stopped in her tracks and invaded Claire's space. The younger woman placed her hand on the redhead's bruising jaw and stared deep into her impossibly blue eyes. "I really am sorry, Claire." She put the tips of her fingers to her own lips kissing them and then moving them to the corner of Claire's mouth. "There," she smiled. "Maybe that'll make it all better." She gave the older woman a wink, but continued to stare into Claire's eyes. Every couple of seconds her gaze flickered to the redhead's lips.

Claire almost gave in when she saw K-Mart start to lean toward her. But in a moment of clarity, her hands shot out and grabbed the younger woman by the shoulders, effectively halting her forward progress. Claire smiled. "Let's get back to camp."

She could see the disappointment in K-Mart's eyes and she filed that information away for later. She decided to change the subject. "So, what do you want for your birthday?" she winked at the younger woman. "It's not every day a girl turns _into a woman_." She laughed nervously. She thought to herself. _I really must be super frustrated._ K-Mart arched a brow at Claire's unique way of stating things. "Hmmm, let's see," the blonde started. "Roses, chocolate, diamonds…to lose my virginity before I die. I dunno, the usual I guess."

"K-Mart!" Claire chided, truly surprised by the bluntness of the young woman's statement. K-Mart had the grace to blush. "Sorry Claire, I just…there are things I want to experience before I get eaten by the undead." Her statement would have had more of a profound affect on the redhead had she not immediately added, "Like, I don't know, getting eaten by someone who's still alive."

Claire's jaw dropped open. "What on Earth has gotten into you?"

The blonde shrugged. "Nothing. Hormones I guess. Weird dreams," she mumbled under her breath, but Claire had caught it.

"K," the redhead spoke gently. "There's still plenty of time to experience the things you want to experience. Who knows, maybe we'll come across a group of survivors and you'll find the young man of your dreams. Or maybe he's here already, you know, Mikey seems to have eyes for you."

K-Mart shook her head bitterly. "You just don't get it do you Claire? I'm never going to find the _young man_ of my dreams. I don't want to be anything but friends with Mikey. I don't want to think about some random person I've never even met before who may or may not exist! And Mikey doesn't like me. He likes _you_ Claire. You're so blind!" The blonde stormed off in the direction of the hummer leaving Claire bewildered. She shook her head. She didn't understand teenagers in the slightest.

The rest of the morning went by uneventful enough. Claire had decided to work on the news van's engine since they weren't doing any driving today. She made sure not to disassemble it so much that she couldn't get it back together quickly enough for an escape if the lookout were to see something on the horizon, but she had to do regular maintenance or these vehicles would fall apart. Being under the hood of a car relaxed her more than anything else could.


	4. Chapter 4

K-Mart's POV

K-Mart stopped dead in her tracks. She had been looking for Claire for the better part of five minutes before she finally found her tucked under the hood of Mikey's news van. The blonde angled her head slightly to take in the sight before her eyes. Claire had removed her jacket and was in her – what used to be white – tank top. She had turned her worn out _Good Times_ ball cap around backwards. One of the suspenders that held up her holster belt had slipped down her arm and was hanging loosely against her bicep. Her hands and forearms were covered in grease, and her face and neck had black smudges from where she had touched or scratched without thinking. Claire was beautiful.

K-Mart stood with her mouth slightly ajar until Claire broke her from her trance. "You gonna stand there all day or are you going to come out with it already?"

K-Mart started a little, but then walked up to the van to stand beside the redhead. "Watcha doin'?" She asked casually.

Claire gave the blonde a half-smile. "Changing the air filter. Wanna help?" K-Mart narrowed her eyes. "Help? How? I don't know anything about cars." But as she said this, she leaned over to have a better view of what Claire's hands were doing at the moment. _If Claire's hands are even half as capable as they were in my dream last night…that engine doesn't stand a chance._ She shook the thought.

"It's _really_ simple," said Claire. She grabbed the younger girl and pulled her in between her and the car, effectively pinning the blonde to the van with her body. K-Mart could feel Claire's chest pressed against her shoulders, Claire's hips against her backside. It was almost too much. Her body froze at the contact and she had to take a few deep breaths in order to calm herself. Images from her heated dream filled her mind again.

"All right," Claire said. The older woman's voice was right next to K-Mart's ear as she leaned over the blonde's shoulder. Hands sliding down the younger girl's arms, she placed the Phillip's head screwdriver in her hand. "Okay, first you have to unscrew all of these screws along the outer edge here so we can take the top of the casing off and get to the filter."

K-Mart began to undo the screws, but her hands were shaking from the feeling of Claire's body so close to hers. Claire noticed the girl was shaking and put her hands on K-Mart's to stable them. The blonde closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She then, with Claire's help, unscrewed the rest of the screws, carefully setting them aside so they wouldn't be lost.

Once they had the top cover off she was able to look inside. "Now, grab hold of the filter and gently pull it out. We don't want to damage it if it's still usable." Claire was carefully watching the blonde's every move. K-Mart reached into the casing and slowly removed the filter. "Wonderful," the older woman complimented. "Now just slightly bend it back so that the flaps fan out like book pages and we'll see if it needs changing."

K-Mart did as she was told. Surprisingly enough – especially with all the sand – the filter was fairly clean. "Okay, looks good. We can probably get another 5 to 10 thousand miles on that thing."

K-Mart snorted. "Where the heck are we going that's ten thousand miles away?"

Claire set the air filter aside and placed her hands on K-Marts sides. The blonde could feel her body being pinned even more tightly to the van by the older woman. Then, Claire's breath was hot in K-Mart's ear. "Who knows? Maybe we'll find Wonderland," she teased the younger girl and began tickling her ribs mercilessly. The blonde had nowhere to go, she was trapped and all she could do was shudder and jerk.

Finally Claire relented. "Okay, let's get this thing back in." Claire talked her through the process of reinstalling the air filter, and within a few minutes they were finished. K-Mart instantly wished she had drawn the event out longer when Claire pulled away from her body. Her back felt cold, even though the Nevada sun was still high in the sky. Claire on the other hand, looked extra heated. She was covered in a light sheen of sweat and her breathing was just a tad too heavy to be considered _normal_. K-Mart smiled to herself. _I did that,_ she thought with pride. _I made her feel that._

"What are you all smiles about?" Claire asked, breaking the younger girl from her thoughts.

"Nothing," the blonde replied. "You're all sweaty and oily." She rolled her brown eyes. "Come on Claire. Meet me at the hummer. I'll get you cleaned up and presentable." She walked off, with a glance over her shoulder. What she saw was priceless. Claire Redfield, in all of her stoic glory was staring after the blonde with her mouth hanging open, a confused look gracing her features. K-Mart didn't watch to see if the older woman was following her. She knew that Claire would be right behind her.

The blonde reached the hummer and opened the back hatch. She rummaged around until she found her pack with the few toiletries that they had been able to scrounge up. She climbed in and sat down, waiting for the redhead to accompany her. When Claire showed up, she crawled into the back of the hummer with no questions. The younger girl pulled out a package of antibacterial wipes and set about cleaning the taller woman. She started with Claire's left hand, gently wiping each finger clean.

"You know, I'm capable of doing this myself right?" Claire stated sarcastically.

K-Mart narrowed her eyes. "Yeah, but you're always in a hurry. At least this way I can make sure it's done right." The blonde was working on her other hand now, gently wrapping the wipe around her middle finger and sliding it down before moving it back up. The younger girl smirked. So many images were flashing through her mind at the moment, none of which were appropriate.

"There's that smirk again," Claire whispered. She cleared her throat a couple of times like there was something caught in it. K-Mart's eyes caught the other woman's and held them.

"Sorry," she mumbled. "Brain went into the gutter."

Claire furrowed her eyebrows in confusion until she looked down at what K-Mart was doing to her fingers. "K!"

The look on her face was exasperated, but K-Mart could see a hint of a smile and a wicked gleam in the redhead's blue eyes.

After the redhead's hands were cleaned, K-Mart got another wipe and started to work on Claire's forearms. Here, she didn't just clean, but she massaged as she went. The first time she dug her thumb into the tired muscle, the older woman had moaned aloud. After that, she had kept a better hold on her voice, but K-Mart could clearly see the groans in the older woman's eyes.

She finished with Claire's arms and was about to move on to her neck when she got an impish idea. She moved closer to the taller woman and straddled Claire's lap. The redhead looked up at her with wide, but guarded eyes. K-Mart could feel the deep, steadying breath that Claire took and internally, she smiled triumphantly. "I'll just get this last part and we'll be done," she said coolly.

She softly wiped away the dirt and oil from Claire's forehead, cheeks, and chin. She wrapped the wipe around her index finger and then slowly, gently traced the older woman's lips, all-the-while Claire's blue eyes were drilling into her. She could feel the weight of the redhead's gaze and was terrified to meet it. She worked her way down Claire's neck with gentle strokes before moving on to slowly caress her collarbones.

As she wiped away the last of the grease she finally looked up to meet the older woman's gaze. She looked down at her own oil stained shirt. "Guess this can go in the rag bin," she joked with her friend.

Claire glanced down and saw the oily handprints from her earlier tickling attack. "Sorry, K. I should've thought that one through. I'll try to pick up a couple more shirts for you on our next raid."

K-Mart chuckled. "It's okay. I still have a couple left." She reached down and grabbed the hem of her t-shirt, pulling it over her head, leaving on her orange tank top. She tossed it aside and looked back at Claire. The redhead's eyes were wide and there was almost a wild look in them. K-Mart couldn't really place the look; she had never seen it on the convoy leader's face.

"Close your eyes," she whispered. "Almost done."

Claire's eyes fluttered shut and K-Mart wiped off the dirt and grease from the creases of her eyelids, leaving the older woman as spotless as was capable these days. Before Claire could open her eyes, or protest, the younger girl leaned forward and gently brushed her lips across the redhead's. She felt Claire respond for a fraction of a second before jerking back suddenly. Her blue eyes flew open and drilled into the younger girl's. Upon seeing K-Mart's face, her eyes softened considerably.

"We can't, K. I can't." Claire's eyes were apologetic, like she didn't mean what she was saying.

"But you want to," K-Mart argued. "I can tell. I've seen the way you look at me."

The older woman shook her head and nervously looked around to see if anyone could have seen them. She moved K-Mart from her lap and put some distance in between them.

K-Mart caught on to Claire's reasoning. "Claire, you can't keep denying it and hoping it goes away. You're going to explode. Besides, no one has to know."

"K," Claire sighed. "As much as you want me to see you as an adult – which I do – I promise…"

K-Mart knew where this was going. "You're only five years older than me Claire. Don't try to pull the age card."

That caught the redhead's attention again and she stared deep into K-Mart's brown eyes. The younger girl could see Claire's gaze shift between her eyes and her lips and back again. After what seemed like hours, the redhead leaned over, grabbed the hatch and slammed it shut. She turned back to the blonde with wild, hunger-filled eyes and crawled forward.

K-Mart felt her back hit the floor of the hummer and Claire's weight settle partially on top of her. The older woman was propped up on her elbow holding herself mostly off of the blonde. Her free hand wrapped around and cupped the back of K-Mart's neck, fingers threading through blonde hair.

She stared down at the younger girl with all the desire of a predator that had finally gotten its prey, but it was K-Mart who pushed upward and captured the older woman's lips. This time, there was no hesitation. Claire returned the kiss forcefully. Her fingers tightened around the younger girl's neck and tilted her head back, bringing their lips even closer. K-Mart felt the redhead's tongue sliding against her bottom lip and the blonde parted her teeth to give Claire free reign of her mouth. She could feel the redhead's tongue sliding against her own and could only hope that she was returning it correctly.

Claire broke away and began to trail kisses across K-Mart's jawline and down her neck. K-Mart had never felt anything like it. The sensations the older woman's lips and tongue were giving her, were like nothing she had even imagined. Claire was sending liquid fire into the pit of her stomach where it pooled before spilling over and downward, even further, until she felt wet heat in between her thighs.

She moaned. She couldn't hold it in any longer. Claire's red hair was tickling the edge of her jaw, Claire's breath fanning across the skin of her neck. It was overwhelming. She could feel the older woman's hand leave her neck and slide downward. Down the middle of her chest to her stomach where it rested, thumb making lazy circles. Everywhere Claire touched left a trail of fire and K-Mart was sure she would burn up before it was all finished.

Claire's teeth were gently nipping at the blonde's collarbone now, and the hand that had been resting on her stomach had somehow managed to crawl beneath K-Mart's tank top, and was now softly stroking her skin. It sent chills up the younger girl's spine. "Claire," she whispered huskily. The redhead pulled her lips away from K-Mart's skin and met her eyes. The blonde put her hand on top of Claire's and slowly pulled both of their hands downward until they were resting on her thigh, just above the knee. She let go of the older woman's hand and leaned back. Claire raised a brow in question, but said nothing as she lowered her lips back to the younger girl's collarbone.

The hand on K-Mart's thigh stayed put, fingers squeezing ever so often, but not moving upward. The blonde wished that she had left off the stupid tights today so that she could feel Claire's hand on her skin, but for the moment, it was enough just to feel the warmth through the thin layer of nylon.

Claire's hand finally started to inch up K-Mart's thigh, so slowly it was agonizing. The hand didn't even make it half way before it was trailing back down at its frustrating pace. The blonde shut her eyes tightly, willing Claire to move her hand further, faster, but the older woman continued to trail her fingers lazily up and down, keeping a safe distance from where K-Mart so desperately wanted them to be.

The younger girl reached out and threaded her fingers through red hair, forcing the older woman to look at her. "Claire, please." Her eyes pleaded with the redhead before she dragged her face forward, crashing their lips together in a passionate kiss. Claire's fingers started to trail up her thigh again. This time they didn't stop. They slid up and under her skirt finally so close to their destination.

There was a loud knock on the hummer's back window. It startled both women and they jerked away from each other. "Claire, you in there?" Carlos's voice sounded from the other side of the glass. K-Mart had _never_ in her life been more thankful for the dust-covered, tinted windows than she was right at that moment.

Claire grabbed the dirty wipes, opened the hatch of the hummer and jumped out. "Yeah, sorry, just cleaning up," she stated so nonchalantly that K-Mart almost asked herself if it had all been a daydream. But her body was still hot and humming from Claire's touch, and when she shifted she could very distinctly feel the wetness between her thighs.

Carlos looked into the hummer. "Hey kiddo," he smiled at K-Mart. The blonde waved and gave him a shy smile, then quickly turned away to hide her flushed face. She heard the two walking away discussing when the next raid should be and sighed.

K-Mart leaned back against the floor of the hummer and stared at the ceiling. She took long, deep breaths to try and calm herself down, but to no avail. She knew Claire wasn't going to give in so easily next time. Just the thought of the older woman made the heat come back. She felt the lava pooling in her stomach again. K-Mart sighed. She had never touched herself before, but it seemed like it was going to be her only relief from the agony that Claire left her in.

She closed the back hatch and leaned back against the seat. She didn't really know where to start, but since the ache between her legs was so strong, her hand disappeared under her skirt and began rubbing along the seam of her tights. Her face flushed in embarrassment the more she thought about what she was doing, so instead she grabbed a blanket, curled up in the back of the hummer, and fell asleep. That's where Claire found her when it came time to grab their cans from Otto and settle down for dinner.

She felt the older woman gently shaking her shoulder, so she rolled onto her back and looked up to meet her blue eyes. "Hey," her voice was thick with sleep.

"Hey yourself," Claire grinned. "You're not going to be able to sleep tonight, you know."

"I'll sleep," the blonde argued. She looked questioningly at Claire, gauging her temperament. The redhead seemed fine, composed even, like nothing had happened. Her mask was back on. K-Mart sighed audibly. "Is it dinner time?"

"Yeah," the older woman admitted. "That's why I woke you. I didn't want you to miss a meal. If you get any skinnier they're going to come after me for neglect and endangerment." Claire laughed at her own joke. "Let's go see what Otto has for us." She jumped down from the hummer and waited for the blonde to collect herself. She offered her hand – which K-Mart gladly accepted – and helped the blonde down from the hummer.

"Claire," K-Mart called as the redhead started to make her way toward Otto's perch. The older woman turned and regarded the blonde curiously. "I just – well I wanted to apologize, for storming off on you this morning. I know you meant well. I just wanted so badly to tell you that I didn't want a young man, or a guy in general. I don't want anyone but you."

Claire glanced around nervously. "K," she said softly. "Let's talk about this later okay?"

K-Mart sighed again. "Okay Claire."

The two ate their dinner, chatting banally with the others around the fire. Carlos was telling stories from his days working under Umbrella's Biohazard Countermeasure Force and all the kids sat listening with rapt attention. When it was time to settle down for the night, K-Mart walked back to the hummer leaving Claire to make her nightly rounds.

She pulled the blankets over her and leaned the seat back slightly. She dozed in and out, not really sleeping because her body was well rested after her nap from earlier. Claire was right; she wouldn't sleep tonight. She sat in that trancelike state between consciousness and unconsciousness until she was jolted by the sound of the door opening. Claire climbed in and shut the door quickly so the cold wouldn't get in. K-Mart could hear the woman trying to move quietly. "I'm not asleep; you don't have to be quiet."

Claire chuckled. "I guess you won't be taking anymore five hour naps during the day, huh?" Her voice held a touch of mirth, so K-Mart knew she was teasing and not scolding.

"Yeah, well, it's too cold to sleep anyway." She wrapped the blanket tighter around her. "Do you think…"

"Not tonight, K," Claire cut her off before she could finish her question. K-Mart couldn't disguise the hurt on her face. She saw Claire's face soften slightly, before the older woman raised the steering wheel and patted her thigh. "Come 'ere," the redhead said softly. The younger girl smiled shyly as she scooted over and laid her head in the convoy leader's lap. Claire threaded her fingers through blonde hair and gently scratched K-Mart's scalp. "Just relax, K. You'll get to sleep soon enough."

It was late into the night when K-Mart finally drifted to sleep. Claire had not stopped the tender massage of her scalp and she entered into her dreams in a calm and peaceful daze.

Early the next morning, a strange scratching noise pulled K-Mart from her sleep. She opened her door to check things out and was immediately met with the raucous caw of the crow beside her head. She jerked back into the hummer and slammed the door, jarring Claire awake. "Claire!"

"What?" the redhead asked sleepily before focusing on her surroundings. "What the hell?" There were crows, hundreds of them, everywhere. They perched on the deadened, useless power lines. They covered the top of the motel like a coating of old motor oil. They even sat on the convoy vehicles. She pulled out her radio. "Carlos?"

"I see them." Carlos's whispered voice did more to calm K-Mart than knowing that she was technically safe behind the glass of the hummer. Something about Carlos had always made K-Mart feel safe. Maybe it was his knowledge of how Umbrella worked, or perhaps it was the way he always seemed so calm even when faced with the most terrifying things. It was different from the way Claire made her feel.

"Everyone just stay in your trucks. Roll up the windows, and keep quiet," Claire commanded over the radio. K-Mart watched as the windows in the bus went up, then, she turned her attention to the bird perched on the hood of the hummer. "What's wrong with their eyes?"

"They've been feeding on infected flesh," came the reply from the redhead. She was clearly disgusted, but her usually guarded tone held a hint of fear.

Suddenly, as if something had startled them, the crows rose together in one disorderly, black wave. "Fire it up! Let's get out of here," Claire shouted over the radio.


	5. Chapter 5

Alice's POV

Alice woke before dawn. Something was stirring in the air causing her senses to sharpen. She took a deep breath and caught the faint hint of the T-Virus. Strangely enough, she also caught a whiff of something that was very distinctly _not_ the T-Virus. She smelled humans. They were a few miles away; she couldn't judge exactly how far, but she knew that they were in the same direction as whatever was infected. And that meant that they were in trouble. Wary after her ordeal the day before, she packed her things onto the bike and set off in the direction of the humans.

She topped a hill right as a giant murder of crows took to the air in a flurry of feathers and harsh cries. They were all infected. She watched, almost helplessly, as a bus filled with people crashed into a light pole, black smoke pouring from beneath the hood. She topped out the bike's speed; she could tell that bus wasn't going anywhere. People were running; frantically trying to escape the birds and evacuate the bus into the other vehicles. She jumped off the bike just in time to see the man, wielding a flamethrower that was mounted on top of an Army transport vehicle, get torn to shreds by the hungry creatures.

That's when she noticed Carlos. _Carlos!_ Her mind almost couldn't make the connection. Her brain slowed the scene before her until she was seeing images almost in stop-motion. The flamethrower – with no one to control it – swung around wildly. It turned to the direction of a young girl. Alice watched as Carlos grabbed the girl and shielded her with his body.

Alice never let the flames get close. She forced an invisible shield between Carlos and the fire. Then, with an exorbitant amount of mental effort, she pushed the flames higher into the sky. She fueled them and caused them to grow by sucking the oxygen from the surrounding air. She made them dance higher and higher until the crows were popping alight and falling to the ground around her. The strain of controlling something as irrepressible as fire was weighing heavily on her mind. She could see the tunnel vision closing in around her, but she forced her mind to work harder, pushing the flames higher, making them burn hotter.

When the last of the crows fell from the sky, she released her hold on the flames, and with a final effort, mentally shut off the flamethrower. She saw Carlos run toward her. Then, everything went black.

When she opened her eyes, the first thing she sensed was the fact that she was not alone. She turned her head to find a younger woman with blonde hair and big brown eyes sitting across the room from her.

"Hi," the blonde greeted her.

She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and noticed a colorful, braided bracelet on her wrist. "Hey," she spoke groggily, like she had been asleep for a while. "This belong to you?" she asked indicating the bracelet.

"I gave it to you last night," the girl spoke softly and looked down shyly after making the comment. Her brown eyes shifted back to Alice's after a brief moment. "For luck."

"Thank you," Alice responded, pausing momentarily before continuing. "What's your name?"

"K-Mart," the girl answered without hesitation. Then, upon seeing the look of confusion on the older woman's face, she rolled her eyes slightly and continued. "It's where they found me. Claire and the others… a few years back."

"Do you have another name?" Alice questioned, not really wanting to call the girl after a chain of department stores.

"Never liked it… and everyone I knew was dead, so, seemed like time for a change. " The blonde offered the older woman a half-smile.

"That's fair enough I suppose." Alice's eyebrows furrowed. "You said last night. How long was I out for?" she questioned the blonde.

The younger girl frowned. "All of yesterday and last night. You barely even stirred. We didn't know if…" she trailed off. "I've been keeping watch over you," she said quickly, then looked away, blushing furiously. "I mean – to let the others know when you wake up."

"Well," Alice said while sitting up from the makeshift bed; she could sense the younger girl's embarrassment and wanted to put her at ease. "No time like the present I guess." She started to get down from the counter when she felt the blonde's hands on her, burning against her skin. The girl yanked her hand back after feeling Alice's cool arm. Then she looked down, ashamed.

"Sorry," the girl mumbled. Tentatively putting her hand back on the older woman's forearm. "I just don't think it's a good idea for you to get up yet. You were out for a while; you need to let your brain catch up with your body."

Alice looked down at where the blonde's hand rested on her arm. It would have been a fatal error for the girl had Alice's near comatose state not drained all of the blood lust from her body. Even as docile as it was now, she could feel the virus respond to the girl's touch. She pulled her arm away gently, scratching the skin where the girl's fingers had excited the virus.

"You're skin is so cold. Do you think you may still be in shock?" The girl's face was a mixture of guarded anxiety and open concern. It was almost endearing. Alice smiled. "I'm fine. I promise. Can you take me to whoever's in charge here?"

"Sure." K-Mart backed away from the counter and led Alice outside. When they found the group, they were all standing around a cluster of graves marked with crude crosses. Alice nodded at K-Mart to go join the others. A confident looking woman with red hair stepped forward and spoke. "Anyone want to say something?"

Carlos broke away from the others and walked over to her with the redhead in tow. "Alice, this is Claire Redfield, she's the one who put this convoy together."

It didn't surprise Alice. The woman carried herself with poise and purpose. Still, she had to admire the fact that the younger woman had managed to get a group this size – mostly men – to follow her. She couldn't have been over twenty-five.

"Thank you so much for your help." The redhead was sincere enough, but Alice could see hesitation behind her well-constructed mask.

"Claire!" K-Mart called from a few yards away.

The convoy leader turned her head to the girl briefly then looked back at Alice. "I'm sorry I have things to attend to." With that, she walked in the direction of the young blonde and a slightly older, rather attractive woman with light mocha skin and dark eyes.

"In the last six months she's lost half of the convoy." It was Carlos who had spoken again. "Alice, what happened to you? Why did you leave after Detroit?" His face was questioning, his eyes full of pain.

"They were using me. Tracking me. I couldn't be around you… any of you. I would have gotten you all killed. After Angie I…" she trailed off not wanting to bring up the painful topic. "I broke into an Umbrella facility in Cleveland and hacked into their computers. I downloaded their satellite trajectories and stayed off the grid."

"And after the world ended?" Carlos questioned. "Why stay out there all alone?"

"It's just safer if I'm not around people…" She got the distinct feeling she was being watched. She looked around but saw nothing out of the ordinary. "What time is it?"

"Hey Chase, what time is it?" Carlos called to a cowboy who was sitting on top of the Army deuce.

"Well Carlos, it is 12:14. Why, you got somewhere to be?"

Alice smiled dryly. "Guess I'm just being paranoid." She shook her head and grasped the hand that Carlos had placed on her shoulder.

"Welcome back Alice." He smiled and walked off in the direction of the four crosses to pay his respects. Alice wandered around the camp and ended up leaning against one of the empty fuel pumps. She needed to leave these people before something happened. Before _she_ got them hurt. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't sense the convoy leader's approach and jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Got a minute?" the redhead asked.

"Yeah," Alice could see that same hesitation in the younger woman's eyes and knew how this conversation was going to pan out.

"Everyone is grateful, for you helping us out," the redhead began.

"But how long am I going to stay?" Alice cut her off and looked away. Her voice had been slightly more hostile than she had intended. She knew it wasn't this woman's fault that people were scared of her, of what she could do. She didn't blame them.

"Hey," the younger woman said softly. "They're just uneasy. They'll come around." Her eyes softened; it was just barely noticeable by someone who was really looking. "No one is asking you to leave." She laughed. It was really more of a quick, sharp exhale than a laugh, but the upturned corners of her lips caught Alice's attention. "If it weren't for you, there may have been no one left to be uneasy. We owe you our lives." Her blue eyes locked onto the older woman's and held them. The look was filled with a gratitude that was beyond anything Alice had ever seen.

The older woman looked away from the redhead's intense gaze uncomfortably. She didn't really know how to respond to those situations, so she changed the subject quickly. "I have something that I think you need to see." She followed the redhead to the back of the Army transport vehicle. Claire climbed into the back where Chase, Carlos, and Mikey already sat and Alice handed her the journal she had found a few days earlier at the gas station.

They thumbed through the book carefully for a few minutes. Mikey finally spoke. "These transmissions are the best indication of life we've seen in months," there was hope in his voice, and an odd sort of what Alice pinpointed as desperation.

"But Alaska?" the convoy leader was hesitant once again. The disbelief was quite apparent on her face.

"We have to check it out; we can't just ignore it," Mikey argued.

"Any idea what kind of journey that would be," Claire fought back.

"Yeah," Chase chimed in. "A long one," he said dryly.

Claire continued. "And at the end of it, what? You have no guarantee that there's still anyone left alive up there."

"The transmissions say that – "

"They're dated _six months_ ago," Claire cut Mikey off. "How many radio broadcasts have we responded to? And how many times have we got there too late?"

Alice didn't know if she should be part of the conversation, but she couldn't just let the idea slip away. "The transmissions say there's no infection there. It's isolated. Safe." She immediately regretted speaking up when the redhead shot her a glare.

"This convoy trusts me with their lives," Claire stated resolutely. "These people don't need pipe dreams."

"Maybe that's exactly what they need," Carlos spoke up. "Look at them, Claire. Six months ago, there were 50 of us, then 40, now there's less than 30. They're starting to give up. They need some kind of hope."

Claire looked out around the campsite. From person to person she could see the exhausted, empty look on each of their faces. She could almost taste the desperation. Finally, she caved. "Call everyone together."

When everyone was gathered around the back of the truck, Claire spoke. "We have a decision to make," she started in a loud, confident voice. "And it's too big, it's too important for me to make for you. There's a chance there are survivors."

"Where?" a voice cut in.

"In Alaska," the redhead answered. "There is a _chance_ …" she stressed this word as to not get too many hopes up, "...that the infection hasn't reached that far. But we don't know for sure. So we have a choice. We stay as we are, or we try for Alaska." She paused and looked out at the small crowd of people. "For Alaska?" Almost every hand rose with little or no hesitation. Claire took a deep breath and exhaled with a small, resigned smile. "Alaska," she said quietly.

The convoy leader hopped down from the truck and walked up to where Alice was leaning. She gently grabbed the older woman's wrist. "I hope you're right," she spoke without malice, but her concern was evident.

 _I hope I'm right too,_ Alice thought sadly. She didn't want to lead these people across the country for no reason other than to waste their resources, but if there was even a _chance_ that there was a safe haven in Alaska, they had to jump on it.

Later, they sat around the campfire talking quietly. "The truck's running on empty," Carlos stated wearily.

"I've got half a tank of gas. That's it," Mikey admitted. "Chase?"

"Shit, I don't even have empty," the cowboy answered. "I got enough for a hundred miles, tops."

"If we're gonna make this trip, we'll need to resupply," Carlos said. "These are our options," He pulled out a map. "The nearest, safest bet is right there."

Alice shook her head letting Carlos know she had tried that already.

"Then, well maybe – "

"We could try this – "

"Vegas," the convoy leader interrupted. She said the word almost casually, as if she were throwing out options for a bachelor party, but it left a resounding silence among the others. "It's the only place we're sure to find gas and supplies."

"There's a reason for that," Carlos argued. "Vegas is too dangerous. It's gonna be crawling with them sons of bitches."

"We've drained every small town dry over the last six months. We have to hit a big city. Here's your city raid old man." The redhead winked at Carlos.

Carlos shook his head. "I don't think I bargained for Vegas, Claire…"

"She's right," Alice said softly. She had been quiet up until this point, letting them work out the details on their own. "Vegas, it's our only bet." She noted the grateful look the convoy leader cast in her direction.

One by one, the members of the convoy drifted off to their respective vehicles until all that was left was Alice, Claire, and K-Mart. The three women sat quietly around the fire for a long while. It was K-Mart who broke the silence. "We were never really properly introduced," she looked at Alice inquisitively. "I told you my name," she grinned at the older woman.

"Alice."

"As in Wonderland?" The blonde was staring into her eyes with a look the older woman couldn't quite place. "I suppose, yes." She caught the glance that passed between K-Mart and the convoy leader. Then she noticed the smirk that graced the younger girl's face.

"Did I miss something?" she asked with a hint of sarcasm.

Claire rolled her eyes at the younger girl and looked away, but it was K-Mart, again, who answered. "Nothing. We just thought you would be a lot further away, that's all." At that, the younger woman broke into a fit of laughter. Alice even noticed a hint of a smile on the convoy leader's lips. She stared at them both, bewilderedly, waiting for them to explain, but after a few moments, she realized she wasn't going to get anything further.

Claire stood and pulled K-Mart up by the hand. "About time to turn in."

Alice grabbed her pack and started to unfasten her bedroll.

"You can't seriously think I'm going to let you sleep out here unprotected," the convoy leader's voice was incredulous.

"I'm never really what you would call _unprotected_ ," Alice said cautiously. She watched the redhead consider her comment before answering. "Still, while you're part of this convoy, you're under my watch. And I _don't_ leave people to fend for themselves. Even if they are superheroes." She gave Alice a half-smile. "Come on, you can sleep in the hummer with K and me. We don't use the back seat."

Alice lifted a brow inquisitively before conceding. She followed the two to the hummer and crawled into the back seat. She was undoing the belt that sheathed her kukris when she heard a loud thud. She jolted forward and pulled her gun, but quickly saw the young blonde gripping her forehead and wincing in pain.

"Man K, you are _such_ a klutz," Claire teased. K-Mart pouted and looked at the redhead with huge eyes. "Is it broken?" The convoy leader took the blonde's face between her hands and pulled her under the overhead light. She softly prodded the rapidly bruising skin just above the younger girl's eyebrow. "Awww," she cooed with mock concern. "It doesn't look good, K." She took a deep breath. "I think we're gonna have to amputate."

The younger's girl's face fell, then turned into a scowl. "You're such a jerk." She yanked away from the convoy leader, but Alice could tell it was all in good fun. Claire pulled K-Mart's face back under the light for another look. "It's gonna bruise, K. But I think you're gonna be okay. No concussion at least." She pulled the blonde forward until her lips made contact with the bruised skin. Alice could hear the slight increase in the younger girl's heartbeat and smiled. _Wonder if Claire knows?_ She asked herself. Claire pulled away from K-Mart and looked deeply into her eyes for a few seconds.

Alice looked away. She was beginning to feel like she was intruding on a very private moment. She leaned her head back against the seat and closed her eyes. She pretended to be asleep to make things less awkward. She began to meditate, slowing her breathing down while listening to the sounds of the other women preparing to settle in for the night. After a few minutes, she heard K-Mart's questioning whisper.

"Claire?"

"Mmmm?" Came the older woman's response.

"Can I? I mean – is it okay if…"

"Come 'ere," the convoy leader cut her off.

Alice heard the seat back being lowered slightly and then something else being adjusted. She cracked her eye just in time to see the blonde scoot over to the middle of the seat beside Claire. She leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on the redhead's cheek. "Thank you," she whispered.

The convoy leader looked at her searchingly.

"Alice may have saved us all today, but I would have been dead long before that if you hadn't saved me." She reached up and cupped Claire's cheek. " _You're_ my superhero."

Claire shook her head, looking at the girl in wonder. "Let's get some sleep, K. Never can tell when you're going to be playing the damsel again," she winked at the younger girl.

K-Mart grinned and swatted Claire's shoulder. But she settled her head in the older woman's lap and closed her eyes. From where K-Mart had earlier readjusted the mirror with her forehead, Alice could distinctly see the redhead's face, and the love in her eyes as she threaded her fingers through the blonde's hair, softly massaging her scalp, lulling the younger girl to sleep. But Alice also noticed other emotions. Desire. Frustration. Claire clearly needed something, but it was something that she wasn't ready to accept from the younger girl.

For a brief moment, she wondered if the redhead would be willing to accept that certain _comfort_ from someone else. Her eyes traced over Claire's stern features. A strong jaw, defined cheekbones, pouty lips. The convoy leader was beautiful. Her blue eyes were closed now, but Alice could still remember exactly what they looked like while drilling into her own eyes. She listened for K-Mart's breathing and decided that the young blonde was asleep.

Very carefully she leaned forward, as not to disturb the sleeping girl. She knew that Claire was still awake by the redhead's measured breaths. Alice waited until her lips were right beside Claire's ear before she whispered, "It been a long time since I've been around a woman like you." Her lips gently grazed the shell of the redhead's ear.

Claire sucked in a quick breath, but that was the only sign that Alice had caught her off guard. She kept her body utterly still. She turned her head to the side and Alice felt her lips sliding across the convoy leader's cheek, coming to rest at the corner of her mouth. "What's that supposed to mean?" Claire questioned quietly.

Alice pulled back, just slightly, letting her lips whisper along Claire's jawline. She could hear the younger woman's heartbeat speed up. She could hear the blood rushing to her head. Breathing in she could smell the effect she was having on the convoy leader. The virus in her own blood crashed through her veins, rushing to her lips to be as close as it could to the sweet, metallic fragrance of human. "Do you know what I miss most about my old life, Red?" That was definitely a nickname she was sticking with.

Claire moaned a little as Alice's lips parted against her jaw as she whispered. "Cheeseburgers?"

Alice's laugh was a sharp exhale against Claire's neck. It made the convoy leader shudder. "I miss touch. Human contact. The feel of bare skin against my lips. Against my hands." Her hand slowly eased around the headrest and downward, fingertips gliding along Claire's neck, slowly tracing the veins down. Ghosting along the redhead's collarbones before dipping beneath the neck of her tank top. She followed along the cup of Claire's bra for a few seconds, but patience was never her strong suit when it came to matters of the _heart._ Her fingers dove underneath the material, cupping the younger woman's breast, squeezing lightly before pinching at her nipple.

Claire gasped. Then moaned. Alice could tell it had been quite some time since the redhead had been touched. She continued her gentle massage on the younger woman's chest, switching between one breast and the other, wishing that she could wrap her lips around them. "What I wouldn't give to have these in my mouth," she breathed into the redhead's ear. Claire shuddered again causing K-Mart to stir in her lap.

Her hand flew up and caught hold of Alice's, pulling it from her top. "We can't, Alice. Not here. Not now."

Of course Alice knew that they weren't going to finish, but she had just _had_ to have a taste. She nodded against the younger woman's neck and slowly pulled away, leaning back in her seat. "Another time then, Red," she barely whispered the words, but she was certain the convoy leader had heard her. Leaning her head back against the headrest, she dozed off rather quickly.


	6. Chapter 6

Claire's POV

She was roused from her sleep by a tickling sensation on her neck. It was still black outside so she knew it was nowhere near dawn. And when did she lean the seat back to lie down? The haze of sleep cleared almost instantly when she felt a soft pair of lips close around her earlobe, gently sucking. Claire gasped and turned her head until she was face to face with K-Mart. The young blonde smiled and held her finger to her lips telling Claire to be quiet. Claire looked to the back seat and saw Alice sleeping.

"K, we can't do this," she whispered.

But the blonde just leaned forward and whispered into Claire's ear. "I know you want this, Claire. I know you want me. I figured out that look you give me when you stare. It's desire. You wanna _fuck_ me." She grazed her teeth down the shell of the redhead's ear, her hot breath spilling into the canal. Liquid heat shot right to Claire's center. The older woman gasped. It was as much from the surprise of hearing such a foul word coming from K-Mart, as it was from the sensations the younger girl was giving her.

K-Mart _never_ cursed. She always scolded Claire when she would let one slip. "K-Mart," she whispered. "Watch your mouth."

The blonde smiled seductively. "I'm sure you can think of so many _other_ things to keep my mouth occupied, right?"

Claire's eyes bulged. "K!" she whispered hotly. "What's gotten into you?"

"Well certainly not you…" her eyes flickered down Claire's body. "Yet," the younger girl winked at her, then crawled on top of Claire and straddled her hips. K-Mart's hips ground against Claire's in a slow, continuous motion. It was quickly driving the redhead insane. Her hands and feet felt cold, as if all the heat from her body had been sucked away and collected in her aching, throbbing…

"Pussy," K-Mart interrupted her thoughts. "Don't be such a pussy, Claire. You're not even responding. You want me so bad? Show me." The blonde grabbed Claire's hands and placed them on her slender hips. Claire's fingers remained stationary for a few moments before the older woman finally acquiesced. Her hands squeezed the younger girl's sides, forcing the blonde's hips to grind down harder against her. Claire gradually began to push upward with her hips, meeting K-Mart's every thrust.

The motion was making the seam of her pants drag back and forth against her throbbing clit. She was going to cum, right here, fully clothed, with K-Mart on top of her, never even really touching her. She moaned. She could feel her orgasm building up. "K-Mart." The younger girl ignored her and kept thrusting her hips. "K-Mart," Claire moaned this time. The blonde looked down at her, face veiled in pleasure. "Claire," she moaned. "I'm gonna cum. Claire. Claire!"

"Claire." The voice was wrong. "Claire." Why was K-Mart shaking her shoulders? "Claire, wake up." It was Alice. Claire's eyes snapped open. She was still sitting in the driver's side of the hummer. She looked down to find K-Mart rising from her lap, just waking up as well. _All a dream_. She shifted and found that she was uncomfortably wet _._ She sighed. _Great._

"Claire, you were just having a nightmare. K-Mart's fine, she's right here." The blonde looked between Alice and Claire perplexedly. "She was calling out your name in her sleep. I think she was having a nightmare that you were hurt," the older woman explained.

"Oh," K-Mart blushed furiously as if remembering the time _she_ had been calling Claire's name in _her_ sleep.

Claire narrowed her eyes at the younger girl. _That had most definitely_ not _been a nightmare,_ she thought.

K-Mart grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, Claire. I'm fine."

Alice looked at her curiously, narrowing her eyes and inhaling deeply. The older woman's nostrils flared briefly before she looked away, a hint of color showing on her cheeks.

 _There's no way she was able to smell me,_ Claire inwardly panicked. _But why is she blushing then? She's got all those powers; maybe one of them is an extra-strong sense of smell._ She shook her head, clearing the thoughts, and looked at the older woman in the back seat.

Alice barely met her eyes before she was opening the door and climbing out of the truck. "I uh – I'm going to go make a run around the perimeter. Check things out." With that, the newest convoy member was gone, slamming the door behind her.

"Well that was weird," K-Mart deadpanned.

"Yeah." Claire watched Alice slowly jog away from the hummer and toward the outer perimeter of the campsite. _She's kind of hot when she's all flustered,_ Claire thought briefly before shaking her head. _Where the fuck had_ that _come from?_ Then images of last night flooded her brain. _Alice's lips against her ear. Alice's hand kneading her breasts. Alice's tongue –_

"So. I was hurt, huh?" The blonde had a knowing smirk on her face as she waited for Claire to respond.

Claire looked at Alice's fading figure before turning back to face K-Mart. She noted the raised eyebrow and the smirk. "Oh shut up!" she groaned. K-Mart's laughter filled her ears.

The blonde scooted to the seat beside Claire. "So what were you _really_ dreaming about?"

Claire's face darkened slightly before she narrowed her eyes at the younger girl. "Wouldn't _you_ like to know?"

K-Mart slid even closer to the redhead. The younger girl caught Claire's eyes and held them. "I really would." The statement was simple, spoken completely casually, almost flippantly, but the dark brown eyes that were locked onto Claire's were anything but casual.

Claire swallowed audibly and it made the blonde's eyes flicker downward to watch the older woman's throat work. "You don't have to tell me, Claire. Not if you don't want to. I mean, I didn't tell you what my…" she cleared her throat, "… _nightmare_ was about." Her eyes found the convoy leaders again and she smiled seductively. "But I also remember you didn't really make it easy on me either. In fact, I seem to remember you pulling me almost _on top_ of you for the rest of the night, and if _that_ wasn't torture, then I don't know the meaning of the word."

Claire's mouth opened just slightly, then snapped shut and opened again. She stared at the younger girl as if she had just sprouted an extra head. "What the hell is _that_ supposed to mean?"

K-Mart looked pointedly at the older woman. "Don't curse, Claire." She stared out the window at Alice's approaching figure. "I guess it means…this is war." She smiled evilly and crawled onto Claire's lap, pulling the redhead forward and crushing their lips together. K-Mart's tongue forced it's way between Claire's teeth, curling upwards until she was softly licking the roof of the older woman's mouth. Claire gasped, her jaw dropping open slightly wider. She had never had anything so seemingly innocent feel so completely erotic.

The blonde pulled away, then closed her lips around Claire's earlobe _exactly_ like in her dream. The redhead's hips jerked upward into the younger woman. K-Mart exhaled hotly into Claire's ear and finally pulled away. The contact was gone so suddenly that Claire didn't have time to react before the door was opening and the blonde was jogging over to meet Alice.

Claire sat in the hummer with her eyes shut tightly. Her breathing was starting to slow down, but nothing could stop the images that flowed through her head. Her dream had faded into the reality of the stunt that K-Mart had just pulled. She needed to get out of the hummer; the air had become so thick she could hardly breathe. _Time to start the day,_ she thought ruefully.

Chase found her as she was making her morning rounds. The cowboy easily fell into step beside her, looking out at the horizon. "Mornin's like these almost make ya forget the world's ended," Chase chuckled good-naturedly.

Claire looked in the direction of the sunrise and exhaled slowly. "Yeah, and that can be dangerous." It wasn't exactly a reprimand, just a careful warning that the cowboy shouldn't let himself be lulled into a false sense of security.

Chase looked at the convoy leader apologetically. "Yeah, you're right. It can. Anyway, I noticed a knockin' sound in the tanker yesterday. I know diesels aren't really your cup o' tea, but I reckon you're still the most qualified person to check it out." He grinned at the redhead. The guys had given her hell when she first told them that she had owned her own cycle mechanic's shop in Raccoon City before the outbreak, but the first time one of the trucks had broken down and she had brought it back to life with scavenged parts, the jibes had thereafter been coated with a kind of awe.

"I'll get right on it, Chase." Claire smiled, more to herself than the cowboy. At least this would give her something to take her mind off of this morning's debacle. And she really couldn't afford to let the tanker go downhill. Most of the trucks in the convoy were easily replaceable, but the tanker, and the news van were two that Claire knew would be hard to come by.

The two walked over to the tanker and Claire helped Chase open the hood. "Fire it up real quick, Chase, but be ready to cut it at my call. I don't want the engine to heat up so I can't work on it. I just wanna hear the noise."

The cowboy did as he was told, and soon the engine was cut and Claire was climbing up with a bag of tools. "Probably just a fuel injector or two." She pulled out a pair of pliers and began popping off the fuel injector connectors. "Chase, I'm gonna need a lookout. The tank's gonna be OOC for a while."

"Not a problem, Claire." The cowboy climbed up on top of the tanker with his L85 assault rifle. They had added the M68 Aimpoint scope about two years earlier after finding it crudely attached to a rifle that was slung on the back of a lone infected deputy they had run across south of Phoenix. The scope had been a major asset to the convoy during the last two years. It was always good to be able to kill at long range.

Claire continued to work through the morning. It would have been easier if she had the appropriate tools, but since she was working with what she had, it was a slow process.

By 1100 it was _hot._ Not in just the classic Mojave Desert mid-summer kind of way either, it was hot in an unnatural way. The convoy leader could almost see the water evaporating from her skin. She'd pulled off her over shirt and twisted her ball cap around backward; this was normal for when she worked on the vehicles. This time however, she had also twisted her hair up in a messy bun and shoved it under her cap. Her sunglasses had kept sliding down, so they were now hanging from the neck of her tank top. She wiped the sweat from her brow with the oil rag.

Claire looked down just in time to see Alice passing by. "Hey Alice," she called out to the older woman. "Can you get K-Mart to come over here please?"

Alice nodded at the redhead. "Sure." It seemed the older woman had not let this morning's events affect her normal laconic responses.

A few minutes later, K-Mart shuffled up to the side of the tanker. Claire took in the sight of the younger woman as she approached. K-Mart had removed the tights that she almost _always_ wore – she had somehow managed to get the idea that her creamy skin was an unattractive feature, but Claire begged to differ. The girl had also removed her vest and her t-shirt and was clad only in her faded orange tank top and jean skirt. Claire noted the thin sheen of sweat that covered the blonde and she smiled as the girl looked up at her with a disgruntled huff.

"It's too hot for this, Claire. You're gonna have a heat stroke."

Claire's grin widened. "Oh, is it hot? I hadn't noticed. Besides, engines don't just fix themselves, K." She pulled the rag across her face once more and K-Mart giggled. Most likely at the smudges it left on her face. Claire rolled her eyes before remembering the last time she had needed to be cleaned up after working on a vehicle. K-Mart seemed to be remembering the same thing because the giggles stopped abruptly and she broke eye contact with the older woman.

"Can you look in the back of the deuce and grab a couple of the fuel injectors we collected?" She tossed the old injector to K-Mart. "Looks like that. I need four."

The blonde looked up at her, and Claire could see the overall lassitude that had claimed the girl's movements. This heat was getting everyone down. Finally, K-Mart nodded and trudged off in the direction of the Army truck. It took the girl longer than it would've taken Claire to just hop down and run over to the truck to find the parts by herself, but after this morning, the redhead really wanted to put some normalcy back into their relationship. Things had started to take a dangerous turn and she was desperate to get back on track.

Once K-Mart had returned, Claire had the injectors changed in no time. She hooked the fuel lines back up and jumped down, slamming the hood with her. "I'm just gonna check some things underneath, Chase. Almost done," she called up to the man on top of the tanker.

"Take your time Claire. Everything's clear for now."

Claire crawled under the truck and began checking things. "Hey K, can you hand me that socket wrench?" she called from beneath the tanker. She turned her head just in time to catch the younger woman squat down to pass her the wrench. Without the tights on, Claire could easily see the pale blue underwear with little orange hearts. K-Mart's knees hit the ground and the hem of her skirt inched up her thighs. Claire blinked and cleared her throat. "Always the lady, huh K?" She didn't really expect the blonde to catch the meaning of her comment. As smart as K-Mart was, she was sometimes extremely ditzy. K-Mart didn't say anything. Instead, she placed her hands on her thighs and inched toward Claire on her knees. She stopped when she was flush with the tire, and Claire was almost positive that no one else in the convoy could see the young blonde.

The girl's knees spread wider causing the hem of her skirt to inch even higher up her thighs. Claire's mouth was suddenly so dry she felt like she had a mouthful of sand. K-Mart's fingers followed the hem of the skirt, before the blonde leaned forward, looking under the tanker at the older woman. "Did you say something?" Her voice was low, her words calculated. Her eyes were burning holes in Claire. But Claire had only briefly met the girl's stare. Her attention was focused slightly lower. She dragged her eyes slowly up the girl's body noting the arch of her back, the muscles of her arms – slightly straining to hold her weight – the dip in the neck of her tank top, and God – _she's not wearing a bra._ Claire groaned and the blonde's lips twitch into a smirk.

Something had seriously gone awry with the shy, soft-spoken girl she had picked up from the sporting goods section of a K-Mart store just outside of Raccoon City. She had never known K-Mart to be so…so _forward._ "I um…I don't actually remember." Claire's voice was unsteady. "I think you're right," she said after a few moments. "It's too hot to be under here." She started to roll out from under the truck when K-Mart shifted forward onto her elbows. The girl crawled toward her and Claire couldn't tear her eyes away from the way K-Mart's breasts were swaying as she crawled forward.

Claire licked her lips, but her tongue was just as dry. The blonde stopped just inches from the older woman's face. "My eyes are up here, Claire."

Blue eyes snapped up to meet brown, but then, like a magnet they were drawn right back down the front of K-Mart's shirt. "If you're going to blatantly stare at me like that, at least _do_ something about it, Claire. You can't just keep getting me all worked up with your eyes and then leaving me to fend for myself." She huffed out a heavy sigh. "Especially when I don't even really know _how_ to fend for myself." K-Mart's blushed beautifully. Claire could tell admitting that hadn't truly been the girl's intent. The blonde's eyes lost the smug confidence that she had been displaying for the last few days. "I mean – I tried after we – after you left me in the hummer." She spoke softly, almost shyly now. "I just couldn't get it right I guess…" She turned away, clearly ashamed. "I have all these thoughts, and feelings that just won't go away, and I don't know what to do with them. I just want them to go away!"

K-Mart looked on the verge of tears at this point. She turned to crawl out from under the truck when Claire reached out and grabbed her. The older woman had the blonde pinned to the sand before she could even register what had happened. K-Mart just lied there, staring up at the woman who was hovering above her. Claire took a deep breath. "Meet me in the hummer at 2000." She quickly crawled off of the stunned girl and out from under the truck. K-Mart continued to lie there, so she held out a hand to the girl to help her up. Once they had both dusted the sand off of themselves, Claire went to go clean up in the hummer, and K-Mart took off in the opposite direction.

As Claire stood behind the hummer cleaning herself off with a clean rag and some water, she could feel the weight of someone's eyes on her. She figured it would be K-Mart but when she turned around to find no one, she immediately knew it was Alice. Wherever Alice was. She scanned the campsite until she found the woman sitting on a rock by herself. When the convoy leader's eyes met the older woman's, Alice didn't look away like Claire had expected her to. Instead, she held the redhead's eyes with a burning stare. _Uh oh,_ Claire knew that look.


	7. Chapter 7

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or storyline from Resident Evil. Just the thoughts swirling around my head that Alice and Claire are perfect for each other..._

Alice's POV

Alice couldn't believe her ears. Her head snapped around to the direction the voices were coming from. The two women were across the camp from her, but her heightened senses made it easy for her to see exactly what was going on. She had been sitting on a stone sharpening her kukris when she had heard the muffled conversation. She hadn't meant to listen in, but the distress in K-Mart's voice had caused her to strain her sensitive hearing. "You can't just keep getting me all worked up with your eyes and then leaving me to fend for myself." Alice blinked rapidly. Apparently, Claire _was_ aware of the girl's affections. "Especially when I don't even really know _how_ to fend for myself."

Alice could almost _hear_ the blush in the girl's voice. She trained her eyes on the two women under the fuel tanker. K-Mart was definitely blushing. "I mean – I tried after we – after you left me in the hummer." The admittance was almost whispered, but Alice heard it as clear as day. "I just couldn't get it right I guess…" She watched as the young blonde turned away, clearly ashamed. "I have all these thoughts and feelings that just won't go away, and I don't know what to do with them. I just want them to go away!"

Alice saw K-Mart start to crawl out from under the truck when Claire grabbed her and pinned her to the sand. All of Alice's muscles strained as she tried to keep her reaction hidden. Claire's voice filtered to Alice from across the camp. "Meet me in the hummer at 2000." Alice watched as the two went there separate ways. Her eyes followed the redhead as she went to the hummer and started to clean the grease from her arms and hands.

The older woman wasn't sure how she should be reacting to this new piece of information, but she was almost positive that it shouldn't be with the low, tingle she was now feeling in the pit of her stomach. Her eyes drilled into the convoy leader, watching. Every movement seemed to make the burn worsen. Suddenly, Claire turned and met her eyes. Alice knew she should look away, but she found herself incapable of such a movement. Her eyes continued drilling into the convoy leader, burning desire quite evident in her stare.

Claire's eyes were guarded. She held the gaze only for a few moments before she turned away and continued with her previous actions. Alice tore her eyes away from the redhead. She could feel her body tingling, almost as if the virus were awakening, crying out for blood. She forced herself to shut her eyes and take a few deep breaths, calming her blood, and her body. Probably a bad idea since the first thing she caught was a strong scent of arousal. Her body shuddered and she opened her eyes to see the young blonde coming her way.

K-Mart raised her chin in Alice's direction. "Hey Alice," she said softly. The younger girl sat down next to the older blonde. The rock was just big enough to hold both of them if their shoulders were brushing against each other.

Alice took a steadying breath, through her mouth this time. "Hey K-Mart. Is it hot enough for you?"

The younger girl blushed slightly. "Yeah, how exactly are you not sweating your butt off like the rest of us?"

Alice chuckled softly. "Something in my blood doesn't like extreme temperatures, so it regulates my body temperature to its own liking. But I can tell just by looking at you that it's a lot hotter today that it has been the past couple of days."

K-Mart wiped her arm across her brow. "Oh to have a regulated body temperature." She rolled her eyes at the older woman.

"It has its advantages, yes." She smiled at the younger girl, then got a wicked idea. She knelt in front of K-Mart and took the girl's heated face between her cool hands. "Better?"

K-Mart's sigh of relief was audible and her brown eyes fluttered closed. "Oh my Goooood, that feels amazing. I just want to pull you on top of me." Then she flushed a bright red instantly. Her eyes snapped open to Alice's amused face. "I mean – I didn't – that was – um…"

Alice smirked and cocked an eyebrow at the stuttering blonde. "I know what you meant K-Mart," she assured the embarrassed girl.

K-Mart swallowed loudly and Alice's eyes were drawn to the younger girl's throat. She could hear the blood stampeding through the girl's veins. Her eyes met K-Mart's and she cocked her head slightly to the side. "Do I make you nervous K-Mart?"

The question was genuine enough. She really didn't understand why the girl's heart was hammering so hard. She assumed that K-Mart at least felt a little bit of the apprehension that the others felt around her, but the blonde was great at hiding her fear. Unlike some of the others who wouldn't even glance in Alice's direction.

K-Mart took a moment to think before answering, blushing beautifully as she did so. Her eyes dropped to the desert ground shyly. "Isn't it normal to be nervous around a beautiful woman?"

Alice blinked. That, she had not expected. It had been a while since somebody had truly caught her off guard. She dropped her hands from K-Mart's face.

"I'm sorry, Alice. I didn't mean anything by that. Just that – I mean you _are_ beautiful. I didn't mean to upset you."

Alice smiled at the blonde. "You didn't upset me, K-Mart. It's just been a while since anyone has given me a compliment. You caught me off guard."

K-Mart gave the older woman a half-smile. "Good." She grabbed Alice's hands and brought them back to her face, before slowly trailing them down to her neck.

Alice smirked. "Now you're just using me." She chuckled at the mock hurt look on the teenager's face.

"I would _never,_ " K-Mart started before giggling. "Okay, maybe I am. But you may need to use me for something one day, so we'll just say I owe you."

Alice snorted. "And what could I possibly need to use you for? Comic relief?" She nudged the girl with her knee.

K-Mart's smile was genuine and playful. "I don't know. Claire says I'm good for taking the edge off."

Alice's eyebrows almost disappeared under her shaggy bangs. "Oh I bet you are." Her raspy voice was oozing sexual innuendo.

K-Mart must have caught Alice's tone because, again, she flushed brilliantly. She shook her head and mumbled something about not talking ever again. "I just mean I'm really good at listening to people when they need to get things off their chest." She huffed. "I really need to start thinking things through before I say them."

Alice chuckled again. "I don't know K-Mart. I think you're much more entertaining this way." She winked at the younger girl, who, as if on command, blushed and looked away. Alice was sure if the girl blushed anymore there would be no blood reaching other parts of her body. The blonde finally let the older woman's hands fall away from her neck. She looked into Alice's blue-green eyes questioningly.

"Do you really think that the infection hasn't made it all the way to Alaska?" Her face was resigned, but her voice was clearly hopeful. "I mean, do you think we could start over there?"

Alice took her former seat beside the younger girl and exhaled slowly. "I think it's definitely a possibility," she answered cautiously. "It's just one of those things that you can't pass up, ya know? Even if there's only a small chance, you can't pass it up." The older woman shook her head, clearing her thoughts. "But, who knows how long before the infection reaches even the most remote parts of the world." She held the younger girl's brown eyes. "Nothing lasts forever, K-Mart. There's no place that is truly safe as long as the virus is still out there."

K-Mart nodded in understanding. "I just wish we could stop running, that's all." She looked over at the convoy leader who was chatting with L.J. "It's draining the life from her."

Alice followed the younger girl's gaze. "You love her don't you?" she asked quietly. She already knew the answer, of course, but she felt like K-Mart might need to say it out loud before she would come to the conclusion herself.

The blonde studied the older woman guardedly, her eyes puzzling over something. She shrugged. "She saved my life," was all that the girl said, as if this were answer enough. And in truth, it was all that needed to be said. Maybe K-Mart didn't understand the full extent of her feelings for the convoy leader, but Alice was positive that the younger girl at least had an idea.

As if sensing she were the topic of conversation, the convoy leader started to make her way over to the pair, her eyes taking in their close proximity. She looked at K-Mart questioningly before turning her attention to Alice. "You got a minute?"

"Sure." Alice stood and started to make her way toward the redhead. She noticed Claire's eyes flicker back to K-Mart for a moment and watched as something very close to jealousy passed over the convoy leader's features. Alice didn't understand at first, but then it dawned on her. "We were just talking about you," she said softly so that only the redhead would be able to hear.

Claire's eyes cut to the older woman and she started to lead Alice across the camp. "Oh yeah? Should I be concerned?" While her tone was serious, Alice could tell that the convoy leader was teasing her.

"I guess that depends on what concerns you," Alice said, teasing back. Her eyes captured the redhead's and held them. A wicked glint entered Alice's eyes as she smirked at the convoy leader. "I assume a beautiful girl like you is used to people drooling over her."

Claire's eyes widened. "K-Mart doesn't drool over me," she stated seriously.

Had it been anyone but Alice, she might have gotten away with it. "Please, Claire. My sense of smell isn't the only thing that's enhanced." Alice knew that her statement would enlighten the convoy leader on the fact that she knew that Claire hadn't been having a nightmare this morning. "My hearing and vision are also beyond measure." She cast a glance at the fuel tanker, and then back to Claire.

Recognition dawned on the redhead's face. She narrowed her eyes at the blonde. "Listen, it's hard enough leading a convoy of mostly men who are almost twice my age. If people start to doubt my focus…"

"Claire," the older woman cut her off. "It isn't my intention to let your secret out."

The convoy leader looked at her suspiciously. "Then what's with the cryptic phasing?"

Alice paused. She wasn't sure the best way to go about this without upsetting the younger woman. "Look," she started. "I don't know what you have planned for tonight," Claire tensed noticeably. "But I was going to offer to keep watch of the hummer, so you don't get interrupted."

Claire's face was a mask of confused emotions and Alice could tell that she had thrown the redhead for a loop. "It's not what you think Alice. I wasn't going to…" she broke off, collecting her thoughts. "She's too young."

Finally Alice had the root of the problem. "How old _is_ K-Mart anyway?" she asked the convoy leader softly. She didn't want her tone to come off as judgmental, so she reached out and brushed Claire's forearm with her fingertips.

Claire looked down at where Alice's cool fingers touched her burning skin. "She'll be eighteen in a few days." She couldn't keep the defensive tone out of her voice.

Alice looked at the redhead, eyes filled with compassion. "That's why you won't…" she broke off not really knowing how to delicately finish the thought.

Claire bristled. "That's none of your business," she spat venomously. Alice's fingers closed around her arm as she tried to pull away.

"Claire, she needs you." The older woman spoke sympathetically and her eyes never left the redhead's. "She's confused. She doesn't understand her body. She looks up to you as more than just the leader of the convoy, Claire. She looks to you for answers. She relies on your knowledge to help her sort through what she can't figure out on her own. She certainly doesn't act like an eighteen-year-old girl in terms of maturity." Alice chuckled. "I'd say she's more like a thirty-year-old in that sense. But she's still naïve in some aspects. Her world stopped with the outbreak. The things that she would have learned between then and now, she's only learned the things that you've taught her." Alice searched Claire's face. "And how many times have you left her alone for long enough to actually try to figure certain things out on her own?" Her tone was playful, but the question was serious. "She loves you, and maybe it's hero worship, or a bastardized version of _daddy complex_ but there's a good chance that it's simple and real." She shook her head and smiled sadly. "Claire we have to take love when life offers it…"

Claire stared at the older woman. "You don't get it do you?" Her voice wasn't angry or upset, just questioning. "K-Mart has somehow managed to hold onto that uncomplicated innocence even in the midst of all of this violence and corruption." Her face hardened. "I can't be the one who takes that from her."

"She's an eighteen-year-old girl, Claire. It's going to happen eventually. Wouldn't you rather it be with someone who cares about her?" Alice knew Claire couldn't argue with her logic. "Just think it over."

Claire nodded, finally leading Alice over to Carlos and the others. They discussed the upcoming raid in Vegas. They didn't want to leave out any details. Only with proper preparation could they accomplish what they were aiming for. By 2000 the entire group was exhausted. Alice caught the convoy leader's eyes, and both women stood and started making their way toward the hummer. Claire opened the back hatch to find K-Mart stretched out reading a book of poetry. She climbed in beside the younger girl and gave Alice a grateful look as she closed the hatch.

Alice leaned against the back bumper and tried to tune out the conversation that was happening inside the hummer. It was harder than she expected because her name kept coming up.

"This is purely instructional, K." Claire's voice was soft, but laced with authority. Alice shook her head. _Well, at least it's a step in the right direction,_ she thought.

"But Alice is right there," K-Mart stated nervously. " _Listening,"_ the girl continued. "She'll hear us." Alice could easily hear the embarrassment in the younger girl's voice.

"She's not going to listen to us, K. Alice is there to make sure no one comes banging on the window again. Now come 'ere."

Alice could hear the muffled sound of movement. "First things first, I guess," the convoy leader started. "Do you know the different parts of your anatomy?"

Alice knew K-Mart's face would be burning red at this point, and she nearly blushed with sympathy. K-Mart's answer was a shy, "Um…not exactly, I guess." Alice closed her eyes and took a deep breath as Claire began her explanation to the younger girl.

Alice was attempting to meditate when the convoy leader's voice broke her concentration once again. "Just put your fingers on it as I go over it, K. It'll help you remember. Follow along with what I say. You feel that hard, little nub at the top?"

K-Mart sucked in a breath sharply. "Yeah," she exhaled the word.

"That's your clitoris. You can just gently rub it, or make circles around it with your fingers."

Alice could hear the embarrassment in the redhead's voice, but she also heard the desire. She shook her head. She couldn't keep listening to this and keep a clear head. She walked a few paces from the car and began to focus on all of the other sounds she could hear. Suddenly, she heard footsteps approaching her.

"Hey Alice," Carlos called. "Have you seen Claire?"

Alice nodded toward the hummer, but caught her friend by the arm. "K-Mart was upset, so she's having a talk with her." It wasn't _exactly_ a lie.

Carlos looked a little hurt. "K-Mart usually comes to me to talk when she's upset," he stated sadly. "Wonder what's up."

Alice shook her head. "Girl talk, Carlos."

"Oh… _oh!"_ Realization crossed Carlos's face. "I see. Well I'll just – I'll just catch Claire later." Alice chuckled. Carols didn't want to be any part of _girl talk._

Her senses briefly honed in on the hummer. "Oh. Oh God, Claire," was all she heard before she snapped her attention away again. Eyes wide and facial muscles strained, she went back to focusing on the sounds of the desert.

 _A/N: So I'm posting two chapters tonight because they are set during the same timeframe just with different POVs. Hope you enjoy._

 _What has Alice gotten herself into this time? It's amazing she was able to hold out for that long. I know if Claire and K-Mart were touching and moaning three feet away from me I would've totally crashed that party from the get-go. What do y'all think? Is Claire being too wishy-washy?_


	8. Chapter 8

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or storyline from Resident Evil. Just the thoughts swirling around my head that Alice and Claire are perfect for each other..._

K-Mart's POV

Her talk with Alice had upset her. Not for any reasons that she could pinpoint, but all the same, she was upset. She tried to discern exactly what part of the conversation had made her feel this way, and she could only figure it was the last part, the part where Alice had asked her if she loved Claire.

Of course she loved Claire, was that even a question? Thinking of Claire just made her remember the last thing the convoy leader had said to her. _Meet me in the hummer at 2000._ K-Mart shivered. What did Claire mean by that? Was she finally going to give in? All the blonde could think about was how much she wanted to touch and be touched by the redhead. She could still remember what Claire's lips had tasted like, what the redhead's hand had felt like, burning against her thigh. K-Mart shivered again. 2000 couldn't get here soon enough.

She decided to pass the time with Mikey in the news van. She had had a crush on the Australian when she was younger, before she realized what her feelings for Claire meant. His accent was adorable, and he was always very charming. But she had fallen into a comfortable relationship with him now, and she looked at him as if he were an older brother. Often they would have a movie on one of the screens while Mikey kept watch of the perimeter cameras.

This particular night, they had chosen _Forbidden Planet_. K-Mart loved old sci-fi flicks. They were her absolute favorite, especially this particular one. She had always loved how Anne Francis's character falls in love with the man who rescued her.

"So what do you think about Alice, mate?" Mikey's voice interrupted the movie.

K-Mart looked at her friend curiously. "I think she's great," she answered honestly. "I mean she saved our butts, that's always okay in my book."

Their laughter drifted through the quiet camp. "It doesn't hurt that she's pretty easy on the eyes," Mikey said dreamily and the blonde swatted his arm. He chuckled. "You have to admit, she's incredibly sexy."

K-Mart scrunched her face and smiled. "It's the voice, it just does _things_ to me," she admitted shyly.

The Aussie chuckled. "Right? I always knew you had great taste." He reached over and ruffled the blonde's hair.

K-Mart gazed at her friend with new eyes. Mikey hadn't even missed a beat. It was as if she had just stated that she liked the color blue instead of admitting that she was attracted to another woman. She felt her affection for him swell, and grinned at the young man. "Okay, maybe it's the outfit too."

Again their laughter filtered through the campsite. They fell into easy conversation and continued watching their movie until it was time for K-Mart to meet Claire. "Well, I had a blast as always. Same time tomorrow?"

"Of course, mate." Mikey smiled and ruffled her hair again gaining a scowl from the younger girl. "G'night, K-mart."

"See ya, Mikey." She made her way back to the hummer and climbed inside. She still had a few minutes before Claire would be there, so she pulled out one of her books and started to read. She was completely engrossed in Walt Whitman when she heard the back hatch open. She turned to find Claire, flanked by Alice. Without a word, the convoy leader climbed into the hummer and closed the hatch.

K-Mart could see Alice lean against the bumper outside the back window. She knew no one could see in through the dusty, tinted windows, but she was a little unnerved that Alice seemed as if she was going to stay.

"Hey," Claire spoke softly. "About earlier, we can talk about this but…" she trailed off. "This is purely instructional, K."

K-Mart could hear the resolve in Claire's voice. _Instructional? What was instructional?_ Then it dawned on K-Mart. Her eyes went wide and she glanced at Alice leaning up against the back window. "But Alice is right there," K-Mart said timidly. " _Listening,"_ she continued. "She'll hear us." There was probably nothing that K-Mart wanted more than for Claire to touch her right now, but with Alice _right there?_

"She's not going to listen to us, K. Alice is there to make sure no one comes banging on the window again. Now come 'ere." Claire nodded for her to get closer.

The blonde crawled over to where the convoy leader motioned.

"First things first, I guess," Claire started hesitantly. "Do you know the different parts of your anatomy?"

K-Mart's face went crimson. "Um…not exactly, I guess." She looked away from Claire and consequently ended up locked onto the back of Alice's head. It only served to remind her that Alice was right outside, probably hearing everything that was said. She blushed even darker.

"Well," Claire continued. "I guess it'll be easier for you to just get the feel of it. Here, sit beside me so this will be less embarrassing for you. You won't have to look at me." Claire patted the spot next to her and the blonde scooted over. "Well, go head and put your hand under your skirt, K. And just push your underwear to the side."

K-Mart's head snapped around so fast it's amazing she didn't get whiplash. "W-what?" she asked the redhead uncertainly. "You want me to – to touch myself? _Here?_ In front of you?"

Claire shook her head. "Not in front of me, K. That's why you're beside me, so I can't see you. I'm not here to watch you, just to – instruct you." Claire was blushing. When was the last time K-Mart had ever seen Claire Redfield blush? She couldn't pinpoint ever having seen that happen. It made her smile a little.

Claire's words sank in and finally K-Mart realized what the older woman was trying to do. "You're going to teach me how to masturbate?"

Claire's face darkened a shade. "Well I – when you say it like that it just sounds – crude. Fuck, K, I don't know what I'm doing. I just thought it might help you take the edge off." The older woman was flustered.

"Don't curse, Claire," K-Mart scolded softly. The blonde was reminded of her earlier words to Alice and chided herself inwardly for not really catching what she had been implying. "I appreciate the fact that you're trying to help me. I just wasn't expecting… _this._ " She motioned at their surroundings.

"What'd you think – " Claire stopped halfway through her sentence and her face softened. "K, I told you we can't. I can't…" she didn't finish the thought.

"I know," the blonde answered. "I just thought maybe you had changed your mind. It's okay Claire, I – I understand. I appreciate your – assistance?" It came out more as a question than a statement, but she let it drop.

Claire took a deep breath. "Okay well, hand under the skirt, we'll get this over with as quickly as possible."

K-Mart reached beneath her skirt and pushed her underwear aside. She took a shaky breath and waited for further instruction.

"Okay, feel where the hair is? That's technically called the _mons pubis_ or I guess normal people call it your pubic mound." Claire's voice was starting to take on a distressed pitch. "So next if you go down just a little bit further. Those are _labia_. The ones on the outside are called _labia majora,_ and the ones tucked inside are the _labia menora."_ Claire swallowed loudly.

"Just put your fingers on it as I go over it, K. It'll help you remember. Follow along with what I say. You feel that hard, little nub at the top?"

K-Mart inhaled sharply at the tingling sensation her fingers were causing, or was it the tone of Claire's voice and the knowledge that the older woman was directly beside her that cause the tingling? "Yeah," she exhaled the word.

"That's your clitoris. You can just gently rub it, or make circles around it with your fingers. That's the biggest part of masturbation for most people."

K-Mart did just that. Her eyes fluttered closed. "Oh!" She breathed out shakily.

Claire turned her head away from the younger girl. "You can also put your fingers inside of yourself and – "

K-Mart pulled her hand out from under her skirt and rounded on Claire. "What? No way!" She shook her head rapidly. "That is – I mean, that just seems like it would be painful."

K-Mart turned the information over and over in her head. Her hand drifted back beneath her skirt and she began to rub herself through her panties. Then her face scrunched up and she looked at the older woman. "How do I know if I doing it right?" She continued to rub herself as she waited for the answer.

Claire's eyes dropped down to where the blonde's hand disappeared beneath her skirt. Her gazed was trained on how the muscles of K-Mart's forearm were gently straining under her skin. She took a deep, steadying breath, letting her eyes fall closed, before sliding behind the younger woman and wrapping an arm around the blonde's waist. "Do you trust me, K?" She whispered into the girl's ear.

"Of course I do." The answer came without hesitation, though K-Mart was barely coherent in her thoughts. She could feel the heat from Claire's body surrounding her. She could feel the older woman's chest pressed tightly against her back. She could feel Claire's hot breath in her ear. All the while, she had never stopped her gentle rubbing. Though it was quickly becoming a little less gentle.

Suddenly, Claire's hand was sliding down her forearm. Her touch was fire and K-Mart's movement halted. The redhead didn't stop until her hand was resting softly on top of the younger woman's. Then, after a moment of hesitation and a deep breath, she moved both of their hands upward grazing the soft skin where K-Mart's thigh connected to her groin. Their hands trailed along the blonde's lower abdomen before gently pushing beneath her panties and descending.

K-Mart sucked in a quick breath as she felt her own fingers, guided by Claire's, softly touching her folds. The contact instantly sent a new flood of sensations through her body and she could feel her own wetness. She knew that she shouldn't, but she couldn't help spreading her fingers slightly to where Claire's fingers slipped in between hers. Her hips jerked into their combined fingers involuntarily. The feeling of the redhead's fingers gently grazing through her wetness made her groan loudly. "Oh. Oh God, Claire."

Claire's fingers tightened around K-Mart's and she began moving their hands up and down, their fingers circling the blonde's clit on every upstroke. K-Mart's hips were moving constantly now, in rhythm with their movements. Claire breathed out shakily and let her head fall forward until her lips were just grazing the younger woman's neck. She didn't make any conscious effort to kiss or lick the skin, but she let her lips linger against K-Mart's pulse point.

The redhead pulled away slightly and whispered in K-Mart's ear. "Now you know you're doing it correctly." She pulled her hand away from the younger woman, and slid out from behind her.

K-Mart groaned at the loss of contact and she rounded on Claire. "Does it feel even better when someone else does it?" She asked with curiosity.

The convoy leader met K-Mart's gaze and answered honestly. "About a hundred times."

K-Mart's eyes darkened and her hands went to Claire's chest, pushing the redhead until she was lying against the floor of the hummer. Claire didn't resist and it urged the younger girl to go further. The blonde's hand brushed along the seam of Claire's pants causing the older woman to exhale hotly. "Oh. Fuck." Claire's hands were gripping at K-Mart's shoulders pulling the smaller girl closer toward her.

K-Mart buried her face in Claire's neck and smiled against her skin. "I guess it does feel better, huh?" She wiggled her fingers under the waistband of Claire's pants and underwear and her fingers slid into wet heat. K-Mart exhaled into the redhead's ear causing Claire's hips to jerk forward into the younger girl's hand. "You're so… _wet._ Did I do that? Is that because of me?" K-Mart was just about to plunge her fingers inside of Claire, when the older woman seemed to come to her senses.

The redhead locked her fingers around K-Mart's wrist and yanked the girl's hand from her pants. "K-Mart. No. This can't happen. Not now. Not while you're…" she didn't finish. "It just can't. Just – try it – on yourself." She opened the back hatch and stumbled out of the hummer and into the night.

K-Mart sat in the hummer staring at the fingers that had _almost_ been inside of the object of her desire. She had _almost_ been inside of Claire Redfield. She sat up, pulled her hand to her nose, and breathed in deeply, the fingers moving to gently rest upon her lips. Her eyes fluttered close and a low groan escaped. Claire's scent was unlike anything she had ever experienced. When she reopened her eyes she was face to face with an amused smirk and a raised eyebrow.

"Jesus, Alice. You scared the heck out of me!" She hopped down from the hummer.

Alice turned to face the younger girl. "Learn anything useful?"

The blood rushed to K-Mart's face right on cue. She knew Alice had been listening. For some reason, instead of being angry or upset with the older woman, she was just _hot._ The thought of Alice listening to what had just happened made her start to tingle again.

Beside her, Alice inhaled deeply. Her blue-green eyes caught K-Mart's curiously before the older woman jogged off into the night in the direction the convoy leader had gone.

 _A/N: Left hanging again? What's a girl to do? K-Mart is seriously going to have to start taking matters into her own hands. Haha, sorry, I love bad puns! So this chapter started out ridiculously steamier, but I toned it down because I didn't want to lose audience, and because I didn't want Claire and K-Mart to go all the way so to speak. If you guys want me to post it as a one-shot, let me know._


	9. Chapter 9

Claire's POV

What the _hell_ had she just done? Claire stood there on the outskirts of the camp hyperventilating. _Did I_ seriously _just make K-Mart masturbate for me?_ She had honestly just wanted to help the girl. It had seemed like a good idea at the time. Way less destructive than the alternative. That was until she was actually in the back of the hummer sitting beside K-Mart telling her to put her hand up her skirt. "Uggggghhhhh." She couldn't help the groan. _What the hell is wrong with me?_ She seriously considered just walking beyond the perimeter cameras and not stopping, but she couldn't just abandon the convoy like that. She had a duty to these people, to protect them, to lead them.

She could still feel the blood hammering in her clit. Four years. It had been four years since the outbreak. And before that? She honestly couldn't remember the last time she had been intimate with someone. Her last girlfriend had been in her senior year of high school. Had it really been _that_ long? Sure her job had made it sort of difficult to meet the sort of girls she was into, but _that_ long _?_ No wonder she was going crazy.

She was considering which vehicle she could sleep in that night that would arouse the least suspicion when strong arms wrapped around her from behind. One locked around her waist, the other around her chest, and she knew by the toned muscles straining under the pale skin that it was Alice. Claire fought to get away but Alice tightened her grip. The redhead felt her back mold to the older woman's front.

"Shhhhh, just breath, Claire. Breathe with me."

Claire could feel the measured rise and fall of Alice's chest against her back, and she struggled to match the woman's breathing. She had made such a mess of tonight. How was she ever going to look K-Mart in the eyes again?

Claire let her head fall back against Alice's shoulder. "How did I _ever_ think that that was a good idea?" She shook her head trying to clear the images that were flashing through her mind. "I can't believe that just happened. Please tell me that didn't just happen."

"Claire," Alice's voice was low and soothing. "K-Mart is fine. Everything is fine," she assured the younger woman. "She's a little confused, and more than a little hot and bothered, but she's not upset with you. I think she just doesn't understand why you keep holding back when it's so obvious that you both want the same thing." Alice's lips were just far enough from Claire's ear to not touch the skin, but the redhead could feel the older woman's breath fanning against the side of her face and neck. She shivered.

Alice's arms loosened around her and the convoy leader turned to face the blonde. After taking in Alice's serious features, she let her head fall forward to rest on the taller woman's shoulder again. Alice's scent was a mixture of sweat, gunpowder, and something Claire could only define as an _Alice-y_ musk. The smell was far from disagreeable and Claire inhaled deeply. Her hands trailed up the older woman's spine and she turned her head slightly so that her lips brushed against the smooth skin of Alice's neck.

Alice gripped the redhead's hips firmly. "Claire." Her voice was low and strained. "We should get back before someone comes looking for us."

The convoy leader shook her head. "I can't go back to K-Mart! I'm not sure I can look her in the eyes yet." The embarrassment surged within her again. It was so strong it nearly made her dizzy.

Alice led the redhead in the opposite direction from the hummer. "We'll just sit by the fire and chat for a while until you calm down." She sat down, stretching out her legs and Claire followed suit. For a few moments, both women were silent.

"What did you do before all of this, Alice?" Claire's sudden question seemed to catch Alice off guard. She looked away and Claire could tell that the older woman didn't want to answer the question. The blonde had a look on her face like she was debating on whether she should lie or answer truthfully.

Finally, after a slow breath, she answered. "I worked for the Umbrella Corporation."

Claire inhaled sharply. "I had a feeling you were going to say something like that." She tried to hide the concern and distrust on her face, but she was sure Alice had already seen it.

Alice continued as if the convoy leader had never interrupted. "I was head of security at a secret high-tech facility called the Hive, a giant underground laboratory developing experimental viral weaponry." She took another deep breath. "The first few years, I was completely unaware of the secret research going on. The facility under my purview was supposed to work strictly with de-aging pharmaceuticals." She caught the redhead's eyes and Claire could tell that Alice wasn't lying to her. "When I started suspecting something was wrong, I began investigating secretly. It took months before I could gain the trust of someone on the inside. But finally, one of the laboratory technicians started talking to me. She was actually a reporter who was going to expose Umbrella for what they really were."

Alice's eyes clouded over with memories. "We were going to steal the virus so that we could bring Umbrella down. I was supposed to make sure she was able to get it past security." The older woman's hand sought out the redhead's and clamped onto it. "Everything would have gone as scheduled, but my security partner had somehow caught wind of our plan, and he was greedy. I remember calling her on the morning the virus was released. She was worried. She told me she had gone to the pick up point to get the virus and there was nothing there. My partner Spence, decided to take the virus for himself and sell it on the black market to the highest bidder. He stole the virus, but before he left, he released it into the Hive. I still remember the last thing my contact said to me. She said she had to go because there was a fire drill." Her voice was full of pain and guilt. "Everyone died. Problem was, as you know, they didn't stay dead."

Claire stared at the blonde sympathetically. Her hand let go of Alice's and settled on the older woman's knee. Her thumb stroked soothingly against Alice's leg, urging the woman to continue.

"Spence thought that the virus would be contained to the facility, but he was wrong." She looked deep into Claire's eyes almost as if she were begging the redhead for forgiveness. "I was aboveground at the time, in a mansion that was located directly over the Hive. It concealed the entrance of the train system that led into the main facility. When the artificial intelligence locked the Hive down, it triggered the mansion's defenses as well. I woke up hours later, not even remembering my own name."

Alice's voice thickened with contempt. "Umbrella's soldiers came to clean up the mess, but even they didn't know the extent of what we were all getting into. When got down there, our mission was to shut down the Red Queen, the artificial intelligence that had gone homicidal. Umbrella wanted to find out exactly what had gone on. But once we shut her down, we opened the proverbial floodgates. All of the locks went down with her. Doors opened and unleashed everything that she had been attempting to contain. Only two of us survived. If you can really call this surviving."

Alice's pupils dilated until there was only a thin ring of blue-green iris left. She stared at the sand before the fire and brought it to life in a mini-whirlwind. Claire stared. The sand dancing in the flames was beautiful, but all too soon it disappeared. "After the virus escaped the Hive, it devastated Raccoon City within hours, then the rest of the U.S. in weeks." She looked out across the dark desert. "If I would have just completed my mission, none of this would have happened."

Her voice was laced with so much guilt that it was almost overwhelming for Claire. She knelt in front of Alice, both hands on the older woman's knees. "Alice, this isn't your fault." She continued even though the blonde looked away from her, self-contempt clear on her face. "None of this is. It's not your fault. You were actively trying to bring Umbrella down. You were betrayed." Claire chuckled darkly, bringing Alice's attention back to the younger woman. "If anything, it sounds to me like you were trying to be a superhero even before all of this started."

She took Alice's face gently between her hands. "There's not much more you could have done, Alice." She hoped that the older woman could see the sincerity in her eyes. She wondered if Alice had had her abilities at the time of the outbreak, but she had a feeling that the woman's super-human traits were tied directly to Umbrella.

Alice finally met the redhead's eyes. "I'm not a hero, Claire. I'm a monster. I barely feel human. I don't even know if I'm alive or dead. Maybe in between. The things I can do…I didn't ask for this."

Claire forced the older woman to hold her gaze. She really wanted to ask Alice how she had gained her abilities, but she felt she had dug far enough for one night. "Alice you are more human than any of those bastards working for Umbrella. You may not think you're a hero, but everyone in this convoy is alive today because of you. _You_ saved us." Her thumb softly brushed against Alice's chapped lips and she gave the older woman a half-smile. The redhead dug into the leather pouch she kept attached to her belt and pulled out a small canister of lip balm. She coated her fingertips and brought them to the older woman's lips gently applying the salve. Her eyes followed the path her fingers were taking, her face a mask of determination. After what felt like hours, she put the can away and looked back to find Alice's eyes burning into her.

"Before you came here Alice, these people…this convoy, we were doomed. Even before the crows." The redhead's eyes shifted to the sand. "They had nothing to hope for, nothing to keep them going. They were losing the will to live. _I_ was losing the will to live." She took the older woman's hands. "Dark history or not, even if you think that you're half dead, your presence here has brought me back to life." She softly placed her hand on Alice's chest and felt the woman's heart pounding. The redhead smiled brightly. "You feel _very_ alive to me."

Alice covered Claire's hand with her own and held it tightly to her chest. She leaned forward until her forehead rested against the redhead's. "Maybe you brought me back to life too," she whispered, tilting her head back and capturing the younger woman's lips. The kiss was chaste. Filled with more gratitude than passion, but it set Claire's blood on fire. It was over as quickly as it had started.

Claire stared into Alice's blue-green eyes. "There's something about you, I haven't put my finger on it yet, but it's right there on the tip of my tongue. You seem so familiar almost." The convoy leader glanced to her right just in time to see K-Mart peeking around the hummer at them. The younger girl was wide-eyed and her mouth was slightly ajar. "Perfect." She sighed. "I think we may have just broken K-Mart."

Alice whipped her head around to the young blonde by the hummer. She caught K-Mart's eyes and breathed in deeply. "Well, I guess that depends on your definition of _broken_ ," she chuckled.

"What do you mean?" Claire questioned the older woman.

"I don't think she's upset about it, but our little kiss definitely had an effect on her." She looked at the redhead with a raised eyebrow.

Claire studied the older woman curiously. "What _exactly_ do you mean?"

Alice smirked once again. "She's turned on, Claire. By us."

The redhead dropped her face into her hands and groaned. "Will things _ever_ get easy again? Oh, who am I kidding? What's new? That girl is _constantly_ turned on!" The two fell into an easy laughter that filtered around the campsite. They earned a couple of odd glances from a few convoy members, but Claire didn't mind. She couldn't remember the last time she had laughed. She watched as K-Mart rounded to the passenger side of the hummer getting ready for bed.

They remained by the fire until almost midnight, talking casually about nothing in particular, bands they had listened to, movies they had wanted to see before the world had ended.

"Come on," Alice said, standing from her spot in front of the fire. "It's going to be a long day tomorrow. We should get some rest." She offered the convoy leader her hand and pulled the woman to her feet. They set off in the direction of the hummer.

It wasn't until she had situated herself into the driver's seat that Claire realized K-Mart wasn't with her. She spotted the girl in the back seat as Alice was climbing in. "Looks like you've got company tonight."

Alice glanced at the sleeping girl. K-Mart was leaned against the door with her head resting on the window. The older woman smiled. "She looks so peaceful."

Claire chuckled quietly. "Yeah it's hard to imagine what a mess of raging teenage hormones she is in the daylight hours." She grinned at the woman in the back seat. "Can you lean her over on the seat without waking her? I don't like her being that close to the glass."

Claire watched as Alice wrapped her arm around the younger girl, hand gently supporting K-Mart's face as she leaned the girl over until her head was resting against the bench seat. Claire was amazed at how tender Alice could be, when just the other day she had watched the woman destroy hundreds of infected birds with only the power of her mind. The redhead noticed K-Mart's hands searching the seat. "She's looking for me," she whispered to Alice. "I usually let her use my lap as a pillow."

Alice raised an eyebrow at Claire, questioning. Claire smiled and nodded. The older woman scooted over and lifted K-Mart's head onto her thigh. The young blonde immediately tucked her fingers under Alice's knee and settled in her sleep. Alice stared at her lap, then at Claire. "This doesn't bother you?" She questioned. "I know how you feel about her, at least, how you feel physically. I can only guess that it comes attached to emotions."

Claire sighed, but smiled at the older woman. "Yeah, there are emotions. I don't quite think they're the emotions you think they are. I don't really know…" She trailed off with a thoughtful expression on her face. "At first it was so easy for me to see her as the younger sister I never had growing up. Finding her in that K-Mart store, she was like a breath of fresh air to me. She made me want to protect her, which made me want to protect people. K-Mart's the reason this convoy is even together. Before her, I just wanted to get myself out of the city and find my – find a place where it would be safe. When I found her, I knew I could never let anything happen to her." She looked deep into the older woman's eyes. "Alice, I can feel your protectiveness for her too, and no, it doesn't bother me. It's actually a sort of relief, knowing that if I fail, someone will still be there to watch out for her." She looked down at the sleeping girl and back to Alice.

"But I can't say I blame her." She locked onto Alice's eyes. "She sure knows how to pick 'em." Claire swore that Alice was blushing, but in the low light, she couldn't be certain. She gave the woman a half-smile, as she looked down at K-Mart and noticed a smirk on the girl's face as well. _Little faker._ She rolled her eyes as she turned back in her seat. She wasn't exactly sure what was going on between the three of them. She loved K-Mart, but she didn't know _how_ she loved her, and sure, she was physically attracted to Alice, but could she trust the former Umbrella operative? She didn't really see a future for any of them.

Maybe in another life she could have humored such thoughts, but she was forced to live in reality. There was no room for relationships. Extreme emotions only clouded your judgment. She was already in deep enough with K-Mart emotionally. She couldn't picture losing the girl, but add to that a head filled with memories of whispered promises and passion-filled nights, and you had a recipe for disaster. Claire was almost certain that Alice would never let any harm come to the young blonde. Maybe K-Mart could find a place with Alice. The thought saddened her somewhat, but she pushed it from her mind and tried for sleep. Tomorrow was sure to be a long day. She wished she'd held onto those damn cigarettes. In the aftermath of the crow incident she had handed out the packs to the guys. She hadn't even kept one for herself.


	10. Chapter 10

Alice's POV

Alice had slept longer and more restfully that night than she had in years. She had woken to find the young blonde still curled up at her side, head resting in the older woman's lap. Her first thought was that she needed to get out of the hummer and check the perimeter, but she remained in the back seat gazing at the girl in her lap. K-Mart looked so peaceful in her sleep. All of the fear and confusion that haunted the girl's face in her waking hours vanished during the night. Alice didn't want to disturb the younger girl so she sat, utterly still, wondering when K-Mart would stir.

She heard movements from the front of the hummer and looked up to find Claire's eyes on her in the rear view mirror. Alice gave the redhead a slight smile. Claire turned in her seat and whispered, "I'm going to run the perimeter and start getting camp ready to pack up. Don't let her sleep too late." She winked at the older woman and exited the hummer preparing to break camp.

Alice gently tucked a strand of blonde hair behind K-Mart's ear, tracing the shell of the girl's ear with her fingertips. Her fingers trailed down to the younger girl's jaw and around until she was gently grazing K-Mart's lips.

K-Mart shifted and rolled onto her back, her eyes fluttering open. A moment of confusion passed over her features before she realized it was Alice she had woken up to and not Claire. She smiled up at the older woman. "Morning, Wonderland," she whispered, her voice thick with sleep.

Alice chuckled. "Hi K-Mart." Her voice was soft even though it still held a certain edge to it. Her hand was still cupping the younger girl's face, thumb resting at the corner of her lips.

K-Mart leaned into the touch, turning her head slightly so that Alice's thumb was caressing her lips again. She gently kissed the pad of the older woman's thumb before closing her hand over Alice's to keep her from pulling away. "This was nice to wake up to," she smiled up at Alice and sat up, stretching. "You made my lips all tingly."

Alice grinned. "You just look so peaceful when you sleep. It's like you're a different girl."

K-Mart's eyebrows furrowed. "Do you like me better when I'm asleep?"

Alice smirked. She couldn't help teasing the girl a bit. "Well you are a _lot_ less talkative, so it's easier to absorb how absolutely adorable you are." She pinched the blonde's cheek softly. "Come on, K. Let's go get breakfast."

K-Mart mock-glared at Alice for pinching her cheek, but exited the hummer and started making her way to the deuce so that she and Alice could get their cans of food from Otto.

After they had sat down by the fire, Alice's eyes focused on the can in her hand. She could feel pressure in her head and a mild burning behind her eyes as she watched the lid. Her eyes traced the edge along the top of the can until she could feel the metal shifting. After a few seconds, the lid popped open and she peered inside. "Pears," she told K-Mart, glancing up at the girl.

K-Mart's face was a mixture of awe and mild disbelief. "That is _never_ going to get old. How – I mean, how is it possible? How do you do it?"

The older woman's brows creased. "Um, well I'm not really sure. I have my own theories, but I'm no neurologist. If I could beat it out of someone, that would be more my style." She winked at the young girl who was finishing opening her can.

"So what are your theories?"

"Well – "

"Hey Alice," Claire called from across the camp. "Can you come help me for a second?"

Alice shot K-Mart an apologetic glance. "To be continued." She winked at the younger girl before hurrying over to see what the convoy leader needed.

Claire rounded on her when she heard the older woman approaching. "Hey," the redhead greeted. "I want you and K in the hummer with me. And we have to make sure she stays inside, doors locked. I can't lose her, Alice."

Alice nodded. "I know, Claire. I won't let anything happen to her. To either of you." She reached out and placed her hands on the redhead's hips. She could see the reservation on Claire's face as the convoy leader glanced around them nervously. She dropped her hold on Claire and caught her eyes. "We ready to pack up?" she changed the subject.

"Alice look – it's not that – I mean it's not you – "

" _It's not you, it's me_ , really Claire?" She shook her head at the younger woman. "Save it. I understand where you're coming from. I don't need to be lectured or let down easily. I'm the former Head of Security for Umbrella. I have a shady past and unexplained abilities. You don't trust me. I don't blame you." She narrowed her eyes at the redhead. The fact that she looked so insanely familiar was still eating away at the back of Alice's mind. "What exactly did _you_ do before all of this went down?"

Claire stared into Alice's eyes with a hardened face. "I owned and operated Red's Cycle Shop in Raccoon City."

Alice shook her head. "How old are you Claire?"

The younger woman bristled. "I'm twenty three," she said through clenched teeth.

Alice's eyebrows disappeared under her shaggy bangs. She was clearly impressed with the convoy leader, but the way Claire was reacting to her questions made Alice think that she may be on the path to finding out where she knew the younger woman from. "So you were nineteen at the time of the outbreak. Owning your own mechanic's shop so young, you must have had wealthy parents, or very generous sponsors at least."

Claire narrowed her eyes at the older woman. "I paid for that shop myself thank you _very_ much! I saved up everything I made since the time I first started working. It was my dream."

"So what did you do before that then?" Alice knew that she had caught the redhead. Claire's pride at being completely self-sufficient had signed her death warrant, so to speak. Alice fought to hold back the smirk that was tickling her lips. She knew that if she let it show, Claire would storm off and that would be that.

Suddenly the redhead's face altered, becoming almost shy. She was blushing lightly. "I – I danced. I was a dancer."

 _Bingo!_ Immediately Alice knew from where she had remembered the woman. "At Platinum," she said. It wasn't a question, but the redhead nodded in confirmation. "I knew your face was familiar. Though Claire is definitely more fitting than _Candy._ "

Claire closed her eyes in what Alice could only assume was humiliation. The redhead let out a shaky exhale. "It was just me and my two brothers. Our parents, they were killed in a car crash five years before the outbreak. My oldest brother took over as legal guardian, but money was always tight. When Chris left to go to the S.T.A.R.S. Academy, I stayed with our younger brother, Jake. I did what I had to do to keep food on the table." Her face was a hard mask.

Alice's eyes softened, and she instantly lost all desire to smirk. She held the redhead's gaze. "What happened to your brothers?"

Claire's mask shattered and her face filled with pain. "I don't know," she almost sobbed the words before locking down on her emotions again. "Alice, it's not that I don't trust you. It's just, anything that has to do with Umbrella, what they've done, I – I _hate_ them. I don't hate you," she added quickly. "It's just hard to look past the fact that you were aligned with them, even briefly. Even though you turned against them afterward. It's just – hard."

Alice inhaled deeply, calming her nerves. She reached out for the younger woman again, but Claire pulled away nervously. The redhead started to apologize again, but Alice huffed. "I understand Claire. You don't have to worry about upsetting me. I don't have feelings anymore. Just…urges."

A flash of hurt crossed the convoy leader's eyes before she masked it with her usual careful expression. "Okay, well that's…good to know…I guess. Urges can be quenched in various ways. There's always more than one option." Her eyes flickered over to K-Mart still sitting beside the fire.

Alice looked at the young blonde and back to the convoy leader. "What? K-Mart? You can't be serious. She's – "

"A beautiful young woman whose hormones have gotten the best of her. What's wrong with K-Mart? Just the other day you were telling me how I should be giving her a chance and now you're saying you won't give her that same chance?" Claire was defensive. Alice enjoyed seeing the convoy leader all riled up, but she was going to have to diffuse the situation before it got out of hand.

Alice watched the blood rushing into Claire's face. She could smell its sweet, metallic tang. She could almost _taste_ it. She could hear it pumping through the convoy leader's veins. _What the hell?_ She thought to herself. She felt so drawn to Claire's blood at that moment she had to turn away and take several deep breaths through her mouth. When she was steady again she turned back to Claire.

"It's not like that Claire, and you know it. K-Mart isn't an option because I wouldn't do that to _you._ Whether you choose to act on your attraction to her or not, I'm not going to drive a wedge between you two. I may tease her mercilessly, but that's just because it's fun." She winked at the older woman.

"Alice, I told you. I don't feel that way for K-Mart. I want to protect her. I want to give her the things she needs, and it seems like right now, she needs something I'm not sure I can give her, even when I try. But she won't need that forever, her needs will change, and then where will we be? I don't want to confuse what we have. I love her, but not in the way you seem to think I do."

The older woman narrowed her eyes. "But your dreams, the way you _react_ to her when she gets close, I'm not imagining that, Claire."

Claire looked away. "My body reacts to her need, to her touch. I can't control that. It's been a _long_ time since anyone has looked at me like that, Alice. My body reacts to just about anything at the moment. It confuses me and sometimes I think it means something else. But it – it doesn't. It can't. I can't feel that way about K-Mart. I just can't."

Alice sucked in a deep breath. "It sounds to me like you're trying to convince yourself just as much as you're trying to convince me." The redhead started to interrupt her but she continued, putting her hand up to stop the woman from speaking. "Look Claire, I'm not going to pretend to know what's going on inside of your head, but I think you need to work some things out, and I think that you need to work them out thoroughly, because once certain decisions are made, they can't be unmade." She looked pointedly at the younger woman. "Figure it out, and if you truly come to the same end point..." she trailed off not wanting to put a conclusion to the thought. The more ambiguous she was at this point, the more wiggle room she would have later.

Claire sighed, and Alice figured that deep down the woman knew that she was right. "Come on, let's get K-Mart and get packed up."

The drive to Vegas was uneventful, but Alice noticed how Claire's eyes kept darting to the empty pack of cigarettes in the cup holder. "Got a craving?" She chuckled.

Claire glanced at her in the rear view mirror. "You have _no_ idea."

"Maybe I can help with that later." Alice smirked and glanced at K-Mart just in time to see the gentle color on her cheeks at the undertone of their banter.

As Claire pulled up to the edge of the city all three women inhaled audibly.

"What happened to it?" K-Mart asked.

"The desert must've taken it back," the redhead answered. She looked at Alice in the back seat.

"Five years," the older woman whispered. "No one to keep the sand back." She looked around the desolate city, looking for any signs of life, or un-life, but she saw nothing.

"It's empty. No undead. Nothing." Claire's voice was uneasy and it made Alice turn to the convoy leader and place a hand on her shoulder.

"Those birds must have moved through the city block by block. Picked it clean." Alice's voice held a touch of awe as she considered the fact that they may actually make it out of this with minimal casualties.

"Claire, this is Chase." The radio broke the woman from her daze and Alice watched as Claire clicked the button to reply.

"Yeah?" Short and to the point. Alice really liked that about the convoy leader. Claire didn't see the point of needlessly drawing things out when they could be handled with a few words. The older woman could relate.

"LJ says the valet parking at the casino is where the gas is gonna be at. Let's pull on up," the cowboy drawled.

"Got it. Out." She sat the radio back in the cup holder. Claire pulled the hummer around to the other side of the casino. Alice was barely able to make out the signs for valet parking.

"Great," the convoy leader sighed.

Alice followed Claire's gaze to the large container express box blocking their way. Her blood was boiling. Something wasn't right. "Stop the truck," she whispered in Claire's ear.

Claire did as she was told and Alice climbed out of the back seat. She could vaguely hear others getting out of their vehicles as she walked toward the conex box. She could smell the infected, but they smelled _different_. Something besides the T-Virus was tainting their blood. Her blood became even more excited the closer she got to the box. Her heart pounded, her pulse was throbbing in her ears. Her skin was tingling from the virus moving quickly through her veins. She could hear the others discussing hooking up the wench to move the box as she inched closer.

She held her ear up to the door of the conex box and listened carefully. All was quiet for a moment, then, as if on cue, she heard low groans coming from inside the box. "Get back! It's filled," she called, backing up quickly while pulling out her shotgun and putting a shell in the chamber.

"Chase!" she heard Claire shout. "Get on the tanker; pick them off." Claire pulled out her Glocks and aimed them at the conex box.

As if someone had been waiting on them, the door of the conex box dropped open leaving a dark, empty hole. Alice waited patiently for about ten seconds before infected were pouring out of the door. They were _running_. They were actively _chasing_ people like they had reasoning skills. Alice even noticed a few trying to open the doors of the vehicles where the children were supposedly safe from reach.

Alice fired off shots rapidly bringing down body after infected body. Plague-ridden blood was splattering on the ground all around her. Her blood was thrumming, almost _purring_. Once she had unloaded both of her shotguns, she tossed them to the ground and pulled out her kukris. She began slicing necks at random until she heard a soft cry behind her. She knew that voice. _K-Mart!_ Why had the girl left the hummer? She turned and spotted K-Mart running from three of the infected. She took the head off of the one closest to her and sprinted after the young blonde. She was almost in reach when out of nowhere she saw Claire put a bullet into two of the infected. Straight into the brain. Alice sighed in relief until she saw the convoy leader get grabbed from behind.

Without thought she flung her kukri at the infected woman clinging to Claire. The blade lodged itself into the skull and pushed its way into the soft brain tissue. She watched the body drop to the ground and the convoy leader rounded on her. Claire's eyes were wide with shock. But she shot a grateful look in Alice's direction before firing two more shots taking out a couple of infected behind Alice.

Alice ran toward the redhead dislodging her kukri from the head of her latest kill and quickly finding K-Mart again. She was still running from the lone infected, headed in the direction of the hummer, but she wasn't going to make it. The two were too far to shoot with any precision and she knew Claire wouldn't risk hitting K-Mart.

"Alice, please?" The redhead begged. Alice's eyes burned and her focus pinpointed on the back of the creature chasing K-Mart. Suddenly the body flew backward and away from the younger woman. Alice then used her telekinesis to open the door of the hummer for the blonde. Alice watched as K-Mart got inside and with a last mental effort she pushed the locks down. Her eyes caught K-Mart's through the windshield and she glared at the younger girl. The look could only be taken in one way, as an indisputable command to stay inside of the vehicle.

Alice took out two more undead, severing their heads from their bodies. She watched as Chase took out one body after another from the top of the tanker. She noticed one infected climbing stealthily up the ladder toward the cowboy. She grabbed it by the tattered shirt and yanked it down to the ground, crushing its skull beneath her boot. She saw two young men taken down by a group of infected. It was too late to save them, but she sliced into skull after skull taking out the creatures and avenging the boys' deaths.

She heard screams coming from above her and looked around to see a young girl being chased by two infected up a narrow stairway. She ran after them, easily catching them and slicing into their spines, severing them entirely. The girl continued to run and Alice watched as she took off toward the convoy vehicles to find safety. Alice started to follow and realized that she couldn't move her feet. She tried to look down to see what was holding her but she had no control over her eyes, or any of her body for that fact. She knew this feeling. _Oh God, no! Please!_ This couldn't be happening. Not now. Not _here_. Those satellites weren't supposed to be anywhere near her. They must have been rerouted.

She could hear the sound of screaming around her but she couldn't provide help. She silently willed her feet to move. Her eyes to blink. Her voice to scream. Nothing. She continued to fight against Umbrella's control over her, but she felt her consciousness slipping away. She could see the dark closing in around the edges of her vision. She could feel a bead of sweat trickling down the side of her face. She heard Claire screaming, an agonizing sound of pain and anger. Alice knew that scream intimately. She had heard it leaving her own lips before. Someone the redhead cared for had just been killed. _No!_ She would _not_ let Umbrella win this time. Her eyes burned and her vision clouded. She shifted all of her focus to fighting against the control. She was so close to something very important. She could feel it. The satellite. The heat in her eyes swelled to an almost painful temperature and she focused that heat on the control panel of the satellite. She fried it, and she felt Umbrella's hold on her start to fade, but it wasn't enough. She had to make sure they could never control her again. She forced her focus onto the chip inside of her head next. It took almost all of her mental energy to disable it, but once she did, she felt her surroundings again.

As suddenly as it had come, she felt Umbrella's control leave her mind. She took off toward the rest of the convoy and destroyed the remaining infected. She was physically and mentally exhausted, almost to the point of blacking out, but she ran up the stairwell to the roof of the casino. She walked calmly toward the white tent before pushing aside the curtain and slaughtering everyone in the control center. The fatigue was slowly giving way to the blood lust now. She vaguely noticed Dr. Isaacs slipping out the back and running toward a helicopter. She turned on him and watched as a single infected caught him from behind and bit into his shoulder. _Justice,_ she thought ruefully. She pulled her Berettas, took aim at the helicopter as it was flying away, and was about to send it to the ground when she got a better idea. Instead she put a bullet in the last infected. Her blood was boiling.

She sensed someone approaching and rounded on them guns pointed. It was K-Mart. The young girl winced at the barrel of Alice's gun. "Why didn't you shoot?" she asked.

Alice took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself down. She needed to get away from K-Mart before the blood lust took over. "Because we're not driving to Alaska. Not while that helo is still intact. I'm going to look at the computers to see where it's going." K-Mart followed her into the tent and Alice heard the girl's sharp intake of breath. She turned toward the girl. "You can wait outside if it bothers you. I'll only be a second."

K-Mart shook her head and followed her to the computer. "I'm okay. It's just – they're – I mean, they're human."

Alice understood the younger girl's reasoning. Killing infected soulless monsters was one thing, but this was murder. Alice had _murdered_ these people in cold blood, and if she didn't get away soon, there would be more bloodshed. "They're Umbrella operatives. They placed that container of infected there on purpose. For us. For me." She was holding her breath now because the scent of K-Mart's blood was overwhelming; it almost smelled like the girl's blood was _outside_ of her skin.

The shock was evident on K-Mart's face. "But why, Alice? Why would they send them after you? Why do they want you dead? How do they even know about you?"

She let out the breath and slowly inhaled through her mouth. "They know I'm going to bring them down." The answer was short and simple and it was the only one that she was willing to offer the girl. She pulled up the location of the Umbrella facility that the helo was headed to and copied the coordinates onto a slip of paper. "Bingo. Let's go."

When she exited the tent she almost ran smack into Claire. "What the _fuck_ is going on here Alice?" The convoy leader was furious.

"I'll explain it all. I promise. But right now I have to take care of something." She jogged away from the two women and toward the roof's exit opposite of the one they had used to enter. She made it down two flights before her blood lust overwhelmed her. She ripped open her button and zipper and pushed her shorts down her thighs. Sinking to her knees, her fingers found her center and began to rub. She had no time for fantasies. There were still _plenty_ of things to kill around here, but they were all human.

She sensed the convoy leader's presence before Claire rounded the second flight of stairs. These women were going to get themselves into serious trouble one day if they kept following her.


	11. Chapter 11

Claire's POV

"Go find Carlos," she told K-Mart quietly. "I need to talk to Alice."

The blonde nodded and turned to leave before turning back. "It's not her fault, Claire. Anymore than it's yours or mine. No one could've stopped this." She shook her head sadly and finally walked toward the door leading to the stairs that exited the roof.

Claire took off in the direction Alice had gone. It led her to another door on the opposite side of the building. Cautiously, she pulled the door open. More stairs. She silently descended the first flight, drawing her gun as more and more of the light faded away. She could hear slight movement and prepared herself for a fight, but when she rounded the corner she was completely shell-shocked.

Alice was at the bottom of the second flight of stairs, on her knees, with her shorts halfway down her thighs and her hand moving slowly between her legs. Claire gasped and the older woman's eyes snapped up and locked with her own. The look on Alice's face was priceless. A mixture of confusion and strong, _very_ strong desire. Claire had expected Alice to hide herself, for them to pass the awkward moment and pretend that nothing had happened, but Alice's hand didn't stop moving.

The redhead's eyes were drawn downward like a magnet was pulling her gaze. She settled on the blonde's fingers, taking note of how Alice was manipulating herself, quick, tight circles followed by long, broad strokes. Finally she dragged her eyes back up to meet the older woman's stare. Alice's eyes, it seemed, had never left her own.

"You people have _got_ to stop following me." It didn't make a lot of sense, but it was all that the blonde said. Her voice, on the surface, appeared calm and even, but Claire could sense the strain that was just underneath. Alice was struggling with something, and it wasn't just the fact that the redhead had caught her in a private act. Hell, it wasn't even the fact that Claire was _still_ watching her.

She shook herself out of her daze and quickly turned away. "God, Alice. I'm so – I'm so sorry. I thought – I – well I thought you – I was coming to help."

Alice laughed, the sound dark and throaty. "You can't help, Claire. If you come any closer I won't be able to control myself. It's – it's the virus. It takes control of me during a fight. It doesn't like to relinquish that hold very easily."

Claire was trying to listen to Alice, she really was, something about a virus or a remote control – possibly an elephant in tap shoes? The fact that the older woman was trying to have a serious conversation about an even more serious topic, while her hand was still moving furiously between her own legs, was overwhelming, and if she thought about it, utterly ridiculous. _Virus. Control. Think straight!_ She filed the information away for later. She would have to ask Alice to explain. She holstered her gun and turned back to the woman.

 _Virus._ "So you – what?" _Control. "_ Make it submit?" It wasn't the most eloquent way of stating things, she knew, but her brain wasn't working at top performance at the moment.

Alice laughed again. "I wouldn't put it that way, exactly. There is really no _making_ it submit. I try to focus on other things, less violent things." She eyed Claire as the redhead inched toward her. "Not very many things _distract_ me, if you know what I mean."

"Well, is it – is it working? What happens if it doesn't work?" The younger woman was almost positive she wasn't going to like the answer. Still, she steadily edged closer to Alice.

"Claire," Alice warned, making the convoy leader pause a moment before continuing down another step. "I don't know what would happen. I've never allowed it to take over. I assume I would just keep killing things until…" she left the sentence unfinished. "And it's – well this doesn't work as well as it used to. I don't know. It's hard to distract myself."

Claire took a few more steps toward the older woman until they were on the same level. She had been undecided in her course of action until Alice had answered her, but now she knew what she had to do – anything to protect her convoy, to protect K-Mart.

"Well, I guess we need to make sure that you're good and distracted then, huh?" She closed the distance between them and dropped to her knees in front of Alice. She tangled her fingers in the older woman's hair, crashing their lips together in a surprisingly passionate kiss. She knew that Alice would respond.

Alice's mouth _attacked_ her own, their tongues clashing against each other in a spar that would have made a Kendo master jealous. The blonde's free hand wrapped around Claire's waist and pulled the younger woman into her rock hard body.

Claire had no time to react. Alice tore her hand away from her own center and was standing up, dragging the redhead with her. Alice yanked her shorts back up and pushed the redhead backward. Claire felt her back hit the wall _hard._ Her shoulder blades were digging into the bricks behind her as Alice pressed her even more forcefully into the wall, shoving a thigh in between Claire's legs.

The older woman's hands trailed down the redhead's sides and gripped her hips tightly, pulling the convoy leader onto her well-muscled thigh. Claire's toes were just barely touching the ground and she was distracted for a brief moment at how Alice could hold her weight so effortlessly. She realized that it was most likely the same thing that had caused Alice's other _quirks._ She had meant to ask the older woman about her abilities. _Virus_. But she'd kept putting it off because it felt too much like prying into her life. _Control._ She couldn't think about the topic for long before Alice's hands were on her hips again, pushing and pulling Claire's center over her thigh.

Claire moaned, and with what little purchase she could find on the ground, she began to ride Alice's thigh slowly. For a moment, Claire got the strongest sense of déjà vu, but the seam of her own jeans was rubbing against her clit as she slid back and forth on the older woman's leg, and she quickly lost her train of thought. She hadn't had so much contact in _years._ She was quickly losing her control. _Control._ She let out a shaky breath and Alice seemed to sense she was already close.

The blonde's hands forced Claire's hips to grind against her thigh even harder and faster. The redhead could feel her orgasm building up in the pit of her stomach. Pleasure flowed outward, crashing through her blood. The edges of her vision began to blur and she was so light-headed that she thought she might pass out. She dug her nails into Alice's shoulder as she came. Alice's lips caught her own and swallowed her cries greedily. The older woman continued to push and pull on the redhead's hips drawing her orgasm out as long as possible.

Claire's body shuddered and she let out a long, shaky breath. Alice finally stopped grinding her thigh into the younger woman and allowed Claire to catch her breath. Threading her fingers through red hair, she pulled the convoy leader into a deep, languid kiss. Alice gently nipped at Claire's bottom lip and the redhead's need instantly soared again.

Claire began to subtly move her center against Alice's thigh. Then, the pressure between her legs vanished abruptly, hands were on her hips and Alice was spinning her around and slamming her face first into the wall.

For just a moment, Claire was terrified that Alice was actually going to hurt her, possibly more. The woman had just admitted that she didn't know what she would do if she lost control. _Control._ Claire was scared. That was until Alice's arms wrapped around her waist and began unbuckling her belt. The redhead made a conscious effort not to grind her hips backward into the other woman, but she couldn't stifle the groan that escaped as Alice's slender fingers forced their way into her pants.

"Guess you like it rough huh?" Alice purred. Claire could _hear_ the smirk in the woman's voice. "God you're so wet you could quench Tantalus's thirst right now." The redhead had no clue what Alice was talking about, but she didn't have the focus to ask. Her hips jerked back, grinding her ass into the older woman's center. Alice moaned. The sound was like an aphrodisiac to Claire and she began to move her hips in a continuous motion. She braced her hands on the wall in front of her giving herself better leverage.

Alice's free hand covered Claire's on the wall, holding the redhead in place. Claire could feel the older woman's hips moving in rhythm with her own. The blonde's fingers were making those same tight circles around Claire's clit and she couldn't help but let her head fall back against Alice's shoulder. For a second, Claire felt the older woman's body stiffen and she wondered if Alice had sensed trouble, but after a brief look behind them, Alice continued moving as though it were nothing, so Claire relaxed once again.

Alice was still working her clit expertly. Claire could feel another orgasm burning inside of her. The older woman appeared to sense it too because she spun them around until Claire was facing outward. With her free hand, Alice started to push Claire's cargo pants and underwear down around her thighs. If she hadn't been completely unfocused with sexual need at the moment, the redhead may have been embarrassed by her current position, but it was the last thing on Claire's mind.

Alice's teeth clamped onto Claire's ear and her tongue darted out to trace the shell upward before nipping at the sensitive spot.

A deep moan tore its way from the redhead's throat as the older woman's fingernails dug into the skin of her thighs and dragged upward toward her ass. Alice's palm flattened against the curve of Claire's ass and she slipped her fingertips slightly into the crevice, softly trailing them along until they slid into wet heat.

"Fuck," Claire gasped and pushed back against Alice's body. She felt the fingers toying with her entrance and desperately needed them inside of her, but each time she pushed back and down, Alice pulled away until just the tips of her fingers were sliding in and out. It was maddening. Claire groaned loudly in frustration. She reached behind her and sought out Alice's heated center. She rubbed the woman furiously through her shorts.

All the while Alice had never stopped her not-so-gentle assault on the redhead's clit.

"Claire," Alice's breath was hot in her ear. "This time I think we may have _really_ broken K-Mart."

Claire _heard_ what Alice had said. The words. They were in logical order, and made sense grammatically, but she couldn't for the life of her figure out the meaning behind the blonde's words. She shook her head back and forth and managed to murmur, "Wha?"

Alice's husky chuckle renewed her distraction and sent a shock straight to her core. She shuddered, still trying to wrap her mind around what Alice was trying to tell her.

"Look up, Claire."

Her eyes drifted upward until they locked with wide, brown eyes at the top of the stairs. Claire's body went rigid. "K-Mart?" Alice thrust her fingers deep inside of the redhead, pumping them at an alarming pace. "Oh. God. K-Mart's – there." It came out as more of a moan than anything and Claire could see the girl's eyes glaze over with lust.

Alice's hand moved from her clit and traveled up her stomach, taking her shirt with it. Claire could feel the fabric of her own shirt tickling her lips and vaguely heard Alice whisper, "Open up." Without even a second thought, she opened her mouth and let the older woman push the fabric inside. Next Alice was pushing her bra up until her breasts were exposed and the older woman's now free hand was gripping, massaging, and teasing her nipples to stiff points. Claire's hand was still moving between Alice's thighs and she barely registered the older woman's hips thrusting forward to meet her fingers.

Claire could feel all of the things that were happening to her body, but her eyes had never left K-Mart's. She wanted to tell Alice to wait. To stop. She wanted to tell K-Mart to leave or look away. But in the end, she had no control of her body and she just kept clenching her teeth around the fabric in her mouth and her hips just kept grinding backward into the woman behind her.

She was finally able to tear her eyes away from K-Mart's when she caught the girl's hand moving subtly between her own thighs. Claire's brain went into overdrive and she moaned loudly.

As if Alice had felt exactly when Claire had made the connection, she drove her fingers deeply inside of the redhead, curling them and hitting a spot that made Claire's knees weak. Alice's hand left her breast, pulling the redhead's shirt off entirely before wrapping her arm around Claire's waist, holding her steady.

"Oh. God." Claire's eyes snapped back to K-Mart's and locked on as her orgasm tore through her body. She could feel Alice's teeth clamp onto the juncture of her shoulder and neck, sharp points of her canines digging in, breaking through the skin. She could vaguely feel warm wetness trickling down between her shoulder blades and the older woman's body was shuddering against her. Alice was climaxing.

After a few moments, she felt Alice moving behind her before something was toying at her lips. She inhaled the strong scent of tobacco and shivered. She took the cigarette between her lips and waited as the older woman lit the end. Taking a deep drag, she shivered. The feeling of smoke curling deep inside of her lungs was almost as good as the pleasure Alice had just given her.

Alice's fingers were still buried deep inside of her. At this point, Claire's body was so sensitive, when the older woman leaned down to catch the trail of blood and drag her tongue upward, the gentle shift of her fingers inside of Claire drove the redhead to another shuddering orgasm.

Claire's knees gave out, and though she was certain that Alice could have held her upright, the older woman lowered her to the ground, following her until they were both kneeling. Alice was softly lapping and sucking at the bite on Claire's shoulder, coaxing as much blood as she could from the superficial wound.

The feeling was completely erotic. Claire couldn't understand exactly what about it was giving her so much pleasure, but the feeling of Alice gently suckling at her shoulder made the redhead wish that the older woman would sink her teeth in again. Instead, Alice slid her fingers out of Claire, leaving the convoy leader with an empty feeling. Her body shuddered as Alice's wet fingers slid from her and glided along between the cheeks of her ass. She gave one last violent spasm as Alice's fingers grazed over of another _extremely_ sensitive spot before wrapping around her waist and holding her tightly.

Claire slumped back against the older woman's body. "Think we distracted it enough to get back to the convoy?" She mumbled, the cigarette bobbing up and down in between her lips.

Alice chuckled. "We'll have to mop up K-Mart first, but yeah. I think you are a _perfect_ distraction." Claire could feel the blonde grinning against her neck.

Alice helped her stand and get her pants fastened. As Claire fumbled with her belt, she felt the older woman take the cigarette from her lips before her fingers tangled in Claire's hair. The kiss was slow and lazy and the redhead almost forgot that her young companion was watching her intently.

Alice passed the cigarette back to Claire, exhaling the thick smoke, and the two women started up the stairs toward K-Mart. The blonde stumbled backward to lean against the wall. Alice clasped a hand on K-Mart's shoulder. "Come on, K. Let's get back to the others."

K-Mart's face was incredulous. "I can't go back there like _this!_ " she cried. "I can barely even walk without something _rubbing_ against me." She took a step forward and as if to prove her point she moaned and her eyes fluttered closed.

Alice grabbed K-Mart by the arms and tossed the younger girl onto her back, _piggyback_ style. "Oh. God." K-Mart sucked in a sharp breath. Claire saw Alice roll her eyes as she started to walk down the rest of the stairs leading back to the convoy.

"How many did we lose?" the convoy leader asked Carlos. The dark-haired man studied her face before answering.

"Seven, but Claire," he paused rolling a body over with his boot. "LJ didn't just get bitten. He turned halfway through the fight Claire. I'm guessing he got bitten when we were near Reno. No telling how many days he's been infected." He looked deeply into the redhead's eyes. "We're going to have to come up with some system for telling who's been infected. It looks like the honor system is a no go."

Claire shook her head sadly, looking at her friend's lifeless body. She could see the bullet hole in his forehead from _her_ gun. "Oh, LJ. Why?" She turned toward the city and stared off into the distance, her face becoming a hard mask. "Did he hurt anyone before I –?"

Carlos shook his head. "You got him before he could bite Mikey, but it was close Claire."

Her eyes drilled into the older man. "Grab Betty and meet me at the ambulance in five. We'll work something out together."


End file.
